


The World Begins With You (Living Forever)

by XxLittenFirexX



Series: The World Begins With You [3]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-03-09 21:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 133,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13490124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxLittenFirexX/pseuds/XxLittenFirexX





	1. Murderer

 

Neku slowly opened his eyes to see he was in the HP Shibuya with all his friends around him including Mr. H. They all backed up giving him some space, happy to see him in his usual J of M clothes.

 

"Nnngh! What…what happened?" Neku said weakly

 

"That's what we're trying to figure out" Joshua said crossing his arms

 

Neku then used his arms for support as he sat up.

 

"Easy try not to do any sudden movements Neku." Shiki said sweetly

 

"yeah man, you're back's still healin' up from a hole that was in it. You gotta relax yo." Beat said concerned.

 

Neku, still a little disoriented wasn't sure why he had a hole in his back.

 

"huh? How come I have a hole there?" he said in a groggy voice

 

Shiki then placed her hand on his hand and activated just a tiny bit of angel energy to heal Neku, since she was still recovering too from almost instantly Fading.

 

"thanks…I don't feel so tired anymore." he said weakly as he opened his eyes more

 

"don't mention it" she said smiling a little.

 

She helped Neku then get to his feet.

 

"Mr. H…what's up? How come you're not in the Composer district or something…you just….tend to be there a lot." Neku asked

 

"well when I heard you guys pulled off the impossible and that they were bringing ya back Phones, I came down here just in case you were hurt or something. I had no idea what to expect since a human soul has never been changed back from their demon form. You're the first." Mr. H said smiling with his hand behind his neck

 

"But anyways" he continued "when your friends brought you back here you were in pretty bad shape Phones. You had a massive hole in your back that went down your spine-

 

That description then caused Neku to gasp

 

"that sounds familiar…I think I went through that same pain before." Neku said weakly

 

"Huh? what do you mean by that?" Rhyme asked

 

"I remember now…I felt this…when I was trapped in my mind…I…I thought you guys were the enemy, that's how bad she messed up my head. As if that wasn't bad enough...her Demon energy, it hurt me really badly, but...it felt good. I thought the pain would make me stronger, and on top of that, I hated you guys. I thought you were gonna hurt me…just like everyone else. So…she told me if I felt overwhelmed to give her my mind, and let her have complete control…and I almost did. When she tried to take over I felt that same pain in my back." Neku said clasping his shoulder.

 

Mr. H shocked by what Neku almost did hid his concern with his laid back attitude.

 

"Neku, you know now that Clarissa was using you right?" Mr. H asked

 

"yeah…I do…why do you ask?" Neku said curiously

 

"Cause…what you almost did, what she tricked you into thinking was a good thing…would've killed you." Mr. H said seriously

 

Neku then just looked at him in shock

 

"She…all that time…she was trying to kill me. So, since my mind and bits of my energy were the only parts of me that survived then…if I had given that to her…I…I almost…got myself killed." Neku said hiding his face.

 

"it's okay Phones, luckily Shiki was that first impact so she was able to wake you up" Mr. H said smiling as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

 

"yeah…she really did, in more ways then one. But it wasn't just her Mr. H it was all of you. So…that pain I felt, was my energy blasting out of my back again?" Neku asked curiously

 

"I'm afraid so. But don't worry about that now, you should let that would heal up. Although I helped fix your back and all you're energy's inside ya again, we shouldn't take any risks." Mr. H said sternly

 

"thanks…when I'm rested and stuff…could you or someone else fill me in on what's happened? My memories as the Demon Lord are a little hazy right now…I…I don't really know what I did." Neku said weakly

 

"Of course Phones but not now. So go on git!" Mr. H said happily

 

"yeah…I'll see you guys in a bit…gonna rest now." Neku said smiling

 

They all watched Neku walk back to his fused house and noticed a hole in the back of his shirt.

 

"it was really that massive…it tore through his shirt too." Shiki thought sadly

 

"Hey Neku..." she said getting his attention "can you come here a minute? I need to fix the hole on the back of your shirt"

 

Neku then smiled and went to her and turned his back to her saying he was ready. Shiki then smiled and placed her hand near his back and the shirt stitched itself back together.

 

"Thanks Shiki" Neku said sweetly, causing her to giggle

 

"Any time" Shiki said happily 

 

As Neku walked back to the fused apartment he then stopped and looked at it. Shiki teleports to him and asks if he's okay. He reassures her that he is and then mentions how they've gotten better at controlling their imagination

 

"Now that I'm okay again, I figured we don't really need the apartments fused together now right? Plus it'll feel even more like the real Shibuya with our apparnemts separate" he said with his smug smile and left hand on his waist

 

Shiki then chuckled

 

"Good point Neku." She said smiling 

 

 

Shiki then closed her eyes and Neku saw her appartment start to dissolve into thin air. He then sees her look towards the distance and made her appartment appear somewhere else in Shibuya causing her to then open her eyes and smile at Neku

 

"Even if I don't actually live here in the RG, I visit Shibuya every day to the point I might as well live here, right?" 

 

Neku then smiled at her too

 

"Definitely, you're practically a local. Might as well have been born and raised here too, like me" he said smiling with his right hand upward and met hand in his pocket 

 

They then smile and Shiki then says she'd go now and let Neku get some rest. He then tells her that he'll see them all later and waves good bye.

 

He then entered the enterance and slipped off his shoes before heading to his room,and went laid on his bed.

 

"This is… it's the same place I was trapped in but…

 

Neku then looked out his window to see the countless human souls wandering Shibuya.

 

"I'm…really back this time…I'm home…well…close enough." he thought

 

He then laid straight with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.

 

As Neku went to sleep he was haunted by images of himself hurting his friends as a Demon, his fears caused his imagination to go berserk causing his nightmares to feel real.

 

_He sees himself with his friends in the HP Shibuya, it was a wonderful dream. They smiled and laughed as he would walk around the city with them and they all ate ramen together, even Eri was there. As they all walked around the city again with Neku telling Shiki there was something behind her. Naturally trusting him, she looked to see what Neku was pointing out only to see claws impale her back._

_"Nnnnnngh! N-Neku what are you..doing?!" Shiki screamed_

_"so you feel it huh? Maybe I should go deeper." Neku said quietly_

_In the_ nightmare _Neku dug his demon claws even further into her back causing her to scream in pain. Eri, Beat, Rhyme, and Joshua all ran up to her and tried to pull her away from Neku but he only dug his claws even deeper in her back, causing her to have her energy glow around her. Beat,_ being _a powerhouse of strength grabbed Shiki only to have Neku go so deeply that his claws went into Beat's stomach._

_"Phones what's wrong with you man?! You killin' Shiki yo! Stop this!" Beat roared_

_"And then once she's faced Soul Obstruction, you're_ next. _" Neku said with a sinister smile_

_Neku rotated to his left side and began to squeeze the bedsheets from how real the dream felt._

_Unknown to him is that all his friends returned to their houses after he left so Shiki is once again in her room eventhough their apartments were separated, she was still keeping an eye on his energy_

_he then squeezed his bed sheets even tighter as the nightmare worsened and saw himself kill Beat, Rhyme and_ _Eri. He even killed Joshua since he was in his human form. The dream then spiraled out of control with him killing the human souls wandering his town. They all unleashed blood-curdling screams so loud it was as if it was really happening and couldn't take anymore and screamed in his sleep_

"Make it stop!"

 

At that moment he heard someone open the door to his room.

 

"Neku! What's wrong?!" Shiki exclaimed

 

He then opened his eyes startled to see her

 

"huh? Shiki?! …Did I really scream that loudly?Ho'd you get here so fast? I thought you were at your apartment...right?" he said weakly

 

"Heh well, l teleported here after l sensed how you felt anxious. Are you okay? It sounded like you were having a nightmare." Shiki said sadly

 

"Y-yeah I think it's just a bad idea for me to be in my room…at least for a while." Neku said hanging his head

 

"just remember you gotta relax Neku, just do something you like okay?" she said smiling.

 

"yeah good idea." he said smiling back

 

"Whenever you wanna hangout just let me know 'kay?" she said sweetly

 

"heh heh, count on it." he said with a smug smile

 

Shiki then went back to her room and began sewing some clothes with her sewing machine.

 

Neku then gets up from his bed and goes to his living room where he summoned spray paint cans for him do spray graffiti with. He then changed some of the nozzles to create the desired affect he wanted for his creation.

 

"As artsy as mom is, there's no way she'd let me do this…heh heh so I should do it now that I have the house to myself. After all, this is the perfect canvas cause of how wide the living room is." Neku thought.

 

He had roughly ten to fifteen spray paint cans with a variety of colors to make his graffiti pop. He started spray painting the base color on the wall, the color that would sort of be the background for the images he would add later. It was a dark red almost burgundy colored. He then added the color black and walked closer to the wall so the spray paint came out thinner against the wall and began to draw the image he wanted to create.

 

…but then his memories began to take over. He added more colors to the art work but when he pressed the nozzle again, it instantly spray painted images of his friends, first with Rhyme and Shiki being unconscious. Startled by this, he then tried to see if spraying a different section would make it not do this. but much to his dismay, when he sprayed again, he then saw Joshua in pain clenching his ribs and Beat laying on his side also knocked out, making Neku's eyes widen and drop the spray paint cans.

 

"Rrrrgh! No! Dammit I don't want these thoughts in my head! Why won't they go away?!" Neku screamed as he squeezed his hair.

 

What was intended to relax him and make him happy by spray painting graffiti turned into a graphic image of him as a demon tearing his friends apart, with tons of detail put into their faces. Some of them were crying from the pain they were in.

 

He then lowered his hands and hanged his head snapping his fingers causing the grotesque image to instantly go away.

 

"I…I'm a murderer aren't I? what did I do as a demon? I can't relax until I know the truth! I just CAN'T! no matter what I try I just….these images…did I really hurt them? was it really to the point they were about to die?" Neku thought filled with heart ache.

 

He sat on the stairs that led to his room thinking about whether or not he SHOULD know what he did.

 

"What if…it's too much? What if I did some really bad stuff as a Demon? What if I killed people like these images I see keep telling me? I…I don't want to be that! I'm NOT like that but…I can't spend my eternity like this either…feeling like this… feeling like crap…like when I had my trust broken in the past" he thought nervously

 

"I need to know what I did. I know it might hurt me but…now…the only way to solve this feeling stop is…to know the truth" He thought with his bangs in his face

 

Neku then rose to his feet determined to know what he did as a demon and finally make the pain stop.

 

"I need to calm down. If I still feel like this, and the truth's really bad…this feeling will only get worse. I have to be ready." he thought crossing his arms.

 

Neku then did his usual pose for concentrating.

 

"I don't want to feel stressed, I want to be calm…relaxed…I want to be okay" he thought triggering the imagination technique he learned.

 

"Okay now I gotta get out outta here but…should I ask her what I did? Shiki always looked out for me, even when I pushed her away in the Game. She could've easily left me behind when she supposedly found the way out of A-East…and yet…she stuck by me…she always wants me to be happy so…I can't get the answers from her" Neku thought sternly

 

"Knowing how nice she is, she'd try to make it not seem so bad for me to be happy. Heh heh I guess that's something friends do…I dunno. I guess…then…yeah Mr. H knows how to say things that just click with me. He has to be the one to tell me…Josh would just freak me out and make everything too gruesome as some sick joke…" he thought concerned

 

 

Neku then made up his mind to go and try to find Mr. H without telling anyone. He didn't want his friends to sugar coat what he did. He knows they would, being the loyal and caring people they are, they'd do anything for their friend to be happy. Which is why Neku was on his own.

 

He walked around Shibuya trying to see if Mr. H was still there. As he walked around Shibuya, he ended up near Miyashita Park Underpass and saw Beat and Rhyme's apartment.

 

"Huh? Wait that's…I wonder when they learned how to create things with their minds." Neku thought

 

 

He then continued walking and left Beat and Rhyme who was hanging out with Eri too, in the process startling Rhyme.

 

"huh? Neku's suppose to be resting! Beat he's not doing well…something's wrong." Rhyme said remarking at the hurt and saddened look on Neku's face.

 

"well then let's go help Phones! He'd help us yo!" Beat shouted getting ready to run out the door

 

"Beat wait! Neku needs his space just let him cope. If he wanted us to help he would've told us what's wrong." she said sadly

 

"I want to help him too Beat! You're always there for him, but you need to also but we need to give Neku his space." Eri said sweetly

 

Beat then clenched his shoulder hanging his head

 

"Aight…you're right yo. I getcha Eri and you always know what to say Rhyme. I hope Phones feels better." Beat said weakly

 

"yeah me too." Rhyme said hanging her head

 

"Mr. H where are you?" he thought hoping to get an answer luckily for him he did.

 

"I'm where I usually am Phones. Hanging out in the Composer District with Joshua. But I can sense _you_ aren't where you should be. What's up? I can sense how hurt your energy is Phones. How come you're so sad? That's not like the Neku I know." Mr. H replied telepathically

 

"Yeah…I...I've been trying to Enjoy the Moment like you want me to. To just relax but, my mind's going crazy Mr. Hanekoma! I tried taking a nap and I had nightmare of myself killing all my friends! I tried spray painting some graffiti and yet I somehow made a graphic image of me as a demon killing them! I can't take this…I don't want to spend my eternity feeling this way. Please, can you tell me what happened?" Neku asked mentally

 

"Alright Phones I'll be right there, and cheer up. You're safe again, you're friends all helped you remember who you are, and you're finally back at the Higher Plane again. You have a lot to be happy about, but I can tell this means a lot to ya so just sit tight I'm on my way." he said mentally.

 

Neku then teleported to the scramble crossing where he saw a ball of light become Mr. H.

 

"hey there sport." Mr. H said smiling

 

"hey there Mr. H." Neku said weakly

 

"alright I'll cut right to the chase since I see how important this is to you." he said getting serious.

 

"First of all Phones…you did a lot of bad stuff as a Demon but you realize you had no control right?" Mr. H asked

 

"Yeah…I do" Neku said hanging his head

 

"well as a full Demon you were more twisted so you had an awful idea. You had a goal of invading the Higher Plane and making everyone in it face Soul Obstruction…especially me and Joshua." Mr. H added

 

Hearing such an awful thing made Neku gasp

 

"But…what did I do?! Did I hurt you?! Did I hurt Joshua?! and when did the invasion begin and-

 

"Phones calm down." Mr. H said reassuringly

"the invasion didn't happen right away. You were very crafty as a Demon and made phases in your plan to take us down. You see, I had plans of my own and taught Shiki how to become an Angel since I knew she would do anything to bring you back, and how strong you were as a Demon. It's because of that, I also knew she was gonna need back up. So I told Joshua my idea and we both agreed that she would need Beat and Rhyme's help, so Joshua brought them here for me to train them." Mr. H explained

 

"But when they arrived here…you did too and…I'm sorry Phones, but you…you tried to hurt them." he said scratching his neck

 

"No! But then what happened?! What did I do?" Neku shrieked

 

"well that's when I tackled you at full blast allowing Shiki to get them away from you. We fought each other and I got a glimpse of how strong you really were, as well as how blood thirsty you became as a Demon. When we fought Phones, you…you got me from behind and slashed my back." Mr. H added

 

Hearing that made Neku's eyes water

 

"No….no I…I didn't mean to hurt you! This…just can't...it can't be what I did…no…I could've killed you Mr. H!" Neku screamed squeezing his hair.

 

"it's okay really, that scratch you gave me only hurt a little bit and I healed myself after you went away. Then after that Shiki told them what was going on and why they needed to become Angels so they'd have a fighting chance at getting you back." Mr. H said while taking off Neku's hands from his head

 

He then placed his hands by his side and looked up at Mr. H in shock

 

"you taught them to become Angels?" Neku said amazed

 

"yeah…although it wasn't guaranteed that they'd save you, they at least increased their chances by doing so." Mr. H said smiling

 

"the training was really tough for them since they had to absorb a lot more energy to become Angels here in the Higher Plane." he explained

 

Mr. H then continued telling Neku all the things he did as Damien having to calm him down from time to time as he would get frustrated that he couldn't do anything to stop.

 

"No…I…I killed them…I killed all those souls. I killed Sota and Nao! They…they were there for me…AND I KILLED THEM! AND I KILLED AI AND MINA! RRRRRRGH! DAMMIT THERE'S NOTHING….there's nothing you could've done?" Neku said hurt

 

"I'm so sorry but no…I could've easily made the Fledgling's Flight District be destroyed if I went full blast and unleash all my power. It would've been too much energy at one spot." Mr. H said trying to hide his sadness.

 

He then told Neku how he messed with Shiki's head lying to her saying that he remembered her not being able to use her angel energy properly to save him.

 

"You see Phones, when you were like that you just put two and two together, to create your little story. You noticed Shiki had angel energy inside her, and knew that she cared about you, so your demon form conveniently made a lie that was coincidentally very accurate, making Shiki feel guilty and feel like she failed you. This is was all your part of your plan for what you wanted to do to her later on." Mr. H added

 

He then continued to tell Neku how he sent visions of his friends being killed to each of them to scare them and how Beat got them determined to save him again. Eventually Mr. H told him about the invasion and how he tricked everyone into thinking that it was still happening…and how he attacked his graffiti loving friend and Joshua and how he nearly killed them.

 

Neku then began to yell squeezing his hair

"NOOOOOOOOOO! I….I ALMOST KILLED YOOOOU! I ALMOST KILLED CAAAAT!….I …I WAS CHOKING YOU AND…I…

 

Neku overwhelmed with heartache let's go of his hair and just simply stared at Mr. H with his irises trembling as they began to water. Neku then fell to his knees while hanging his head squeezing his hair again. He was so shocked and so depressed at the thought of killing the man he respects to much that his breath became choppy as he cried harder, causing him to sniffle a lot.

 

"Mr. H…I…was about to….to kill…" Neku whimpered

 

He then pictured in his head what Mr. H told him

 

"I stabbed him…the man I respect…the person that inspired me to expand my world…I stabbed his stomach with my claws…and I began choking him, squeezing his neck. He…he was in his human form too….so I…I was really about to…and Joshua…I tried to hurt him too. I...I attacked them over and over making their bodies be covered in scratches and leaking out their true forms! I was nearly killing them!" Neku screamed while squeezing his hair

 

"How?" he said quietly "How…can I enjoy every moment with all I've got when I almost killed you?"

 

Neku then became angry at himself. Overwhelmed with frustration that he couldn't stop, that he had no control over what he did, causing him to squeeze his hair tighter and tighter until his fingers trembled with rage.

 

Mr. H, saddened to see Neku like this tries to cheer him up

 

"Please don't do this, don't punish yourself over something you didn't do. Come on look at me Phones. You're hurting yourself." he said sadly

 

Mr. H then placed his hands on Neku's trembling hands and pulled them out of his hair.

 

"Look at what you did" Mr. H said remarking on the little strings of orange hair that were on the palms of Neku's hands as he laid them on his lap hanging his had.

 

"Please don't do that Phones, I'm not worth you hurting your head like that…you know how you can enjoy the moment? By thinking about how I'm right here. I'm okay and so are your friends…even if you almost killed them too, when they went to the Demon realm to get you back, and you messed with Shiki's head dancing with her then later attempting to kill her, BUT they saved you Phones. Yeah, you did really bad things but it's okay. it's all over now. That is how you can enjoy the moment by being happy that you're okay." he added smiling.

 

"thanks…Mr. …Hanekoma." Neku said weakly

 

He then raised his head looking at him at let's out a little smile.

 

"Don't mention it, Neku" Mr. H said smiling back

 

As Neku went back to his house to go talk to Shiki, the Higher Ups began discussing Neku's trail.

 

"They did the impossible. truly those Human Souls the Composer's Proxy is friends with are very powerful." one of the male Maestros remarked

 

"yes it is truly astounding what they accomplished. You know since we are only amongst each other you can take off your hood Aiden." A female Maestro remarked

 

He then does as she suggests.

 

Aiden, the leader of the Maestros has dark red hair that rests at his shoulders with many layers, bright red eyes, and pale skin. With a very strong physique.

 

"there, pleased Amonae?" Aiden asked

 

"Not quite" she said smiling.

 

She then removes her hood.

 

She has dark blue hair that flows down to her back with icy blue eyes and pale skin resembling Neku's skin tone.

 

All the other Maestros removed their hoods as well

 

"Now let's discuss Neku Sakuraba's trial. He has committed many crimes on top of revealing the afterlife to his mother, and now must have those crimes placed on top of those." Aiden remarked

 

"true but he did a majority of those crimes with no control." Amonae added

 

"Oh come now Amonae don't tell me after the millennia we've existed that now you're getting soft on me and pity the boy?" he asked

 

"of course not" she replied

 

"Good then, the Proxy of the Composer of Shibuya shall face the highest punishment, and since he's a spirit with high levels of imagination, he will have special rules to abide by in the Angels' Game." Aiden added

 

"yes but for now…let's let the boy enjoy his eternity. After all, we're not ruthless like the Demons. Allow him some peace then he will go on trial." Amonae said smiling.


	2. Freedom

 

Neku went to Shiki's appartment and went to her bedroom and knocked on her door. He knew he could just phase through the door no longer being made of flesh but he couldn't help himself, it was just a force of a habit. Deep down he was still grieving over the fact that he almost killed his friends, the description of him holding demon lightning at his nearly beaten do death friends, knowing that within that split second, if Joshua hadn't come that they would've all Faded haunted him. But for the sake of his well being he tried to not think about it, and instead tried to enjoy the moment like Mr. H wants him to.

 

"Can I come in, or are you doing something?" Neku asked

 

"yeah, I'm just sewing, nothing major." Shiki said smiling

 

He then twisted her door knob and entered the room noticing an eager Mr. Mew rising to his feet running up to him.

 

"Heh heh, hey piggy." Neku said smiling as he picked up the stuffed toy

 

"So um…I'm here 'cause…heh I wanna just hangout, I just wanna get out of here." he said trying to hide the remorse he felt.

 

"Oh okay sure Neku! Heh heh, I'm glad you're feeling better." she said sweetly

 

"Yeah I think I'll feel even better once we just do what we use to in Shibuya you know? It's been a while huh? Since we've ever got to do something as simple as walking around the city?" he remarked as Mr. Mew leaped from his arms

 

"yeah it really has and…well I've got a surprise for you Neku!" Shiki said happily

 

Neku then placed his hand on his hip with a smug smile

 

"Shiki, you know I don't like surprises. I like having a sense of control in my life and knowing what's going on, especially ever since how unpredictable the Repaers' Game was" he said tauntingly causing Shiki to giggle

 

"yeah I know you do but don't worry the surprise isn't anything major just…well a good thing that's all." Shiki said smiling

 

"Heh heh alright let's go see the good thing" Neku said using air quotes

 

The two friends then phased through the walls of the apartment and then glide together with Shiki leading him to Beat and Rhyme's apartment 

 

"Hey guys Neku's here!" Shiki said smiling

 

"Great I'll go get the surprise" Rhyme said happily

 

She then ran over to her room to go get the surprise.

 

"He's here! Neku's finally back!" Rhyme exclaimed to someone

 

Rhyme then lead the person to the front door of the house.

 

"Okay Shiki he can come in now." Rhyme said smiling.

 

Shiki then opened the door to reveal an ecstatic Eri who ran up to Neku hugging him

 

"You're really back!" she said happily "They told me everything Neku! I'm so glad that you're okay!"

 

"Yeah me too" Neku said smiling though a little startled

 

She then let's go of him causing him to ask her how she got to the Higher Plane

 

"I know this seems to have come out of the blue but, I just wasn't expecting you to be here Eri. I thought you were still in the RG." he remarked scratching his head

 

"well, I…I missed Shiki, I missed all of you guys. I felt like I didn't get to know any of you that well and…I…I just wanted to see you all again." Eri said sadly

 

"I'm sorry. I'm the one that got everyone killed. Beat, Shiki and Rhyme all died to go bring me back. That's why everyone around you was gone…it's…it's all because of me." Neku said hiding his eyes beneath his bangs, mouth in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

Shiki then held his hand and squeezed it

 

"Neku…that wasn't your fault...it's okay, we're all together again so in the long run it wasn't such a bad thing. Shiki said sweetly

 

"She's right Neku, yeah our parents are all missing us, and there's nothing we can do, but we'll see them again." Eri said smiling

 

"yeah…you're right." Neku said smiling back

 

"In a way…I'm kinda glad you died cause, now we can all hang out…just like in the RG, and now…I…I can finally well, be your friend." Neku said scratching his head awkwardly

 

"yeah heh heh, I've wanted to be your friend too Neku" Eri said smiling

 

They all walked around Shibuya together, for once after all the things he went through, Neku felt happy again. Although the memories of Damien still lurked in his head he tried not to focus on them and enjoy the moment, for their sake. He didn't want his friends wasting their eternity worrying about him.

 

They showed Eri all the areas that were for missions in the UG and told her they were glad she never had to go through it.

 

"The Reapers' Game isn't supposed to be bad though...even if for me it started out as a dream that became a nightmare" Neku added

 

"It's supposed to help the Players appreciate what was taken as their entry fee. And well, like any competition, the Players who didn't rack up the most points in their time in the Game are left behind and don't win their prize so to speak…like me."

 

"Wait that's right! Shiki said you had to play the Game again!" Eri added

 

"Yeah, I did. I didn't win cause I…it was all part of his plan, Joshua wanted me to be there longer and extended the Reapers' Game...and...I guess I didn't do well on the missions, I guess they involved more than just completing them. Since Shiki won, I guess they also tally how you interact with other Players or something…I really don't know." Neku said weakly

 

"That's so messed up. I remember Shiki telling me you didn't really get along with her at first" Eri said a little sad

 

"That's right…I didn't. I pushed everyone away with my headphones Eri, even Shiki. I couldn't stand her, I thought she was creepy for always following me, even though she had to as my Partner. She really annoyed me too. I didn't want to be around her…or anyone. All of them annoyed me back then and I know I bothered them too, especially Beat and Shiki. I wanted to be alone away from the world and inside my world. Just to live in isolation avoiding people no matter what." he said with his face hidden in his funnel collar.

 

Beat Shiki and Rhyme all hanged their heads remembering how hurt he was back then.

 

"yeah, whenever Shiki would be tryinta get advice from us on how to play the Game 'n stuff, Phones would shut down an' jus' not talk at all unless we spoke to him yo. It's like what Phones said...I got mad at him too. I just wanted him to trust me 'n Rhyme yo. But he didn't." Beat said clasping his shoulder

 

"and the way he would look at us…it was like he was glaring at us. Like Neku was just waiting for us to say something that would insult him, like he was waiting for us to try to hurt him." Rhyme added hanging her head

 

 

"That's because I...I was used to that. I was used to people dragging me down and holding me back, making me feel like all the time I had spent with my past friends was all for nothing. So I sure as hell didn't want to risk it. That's why I hated being with Shiki, Beat and Rhyme, I thought they would be just like them and try to use me and hurt me. On top of annoying me. I didn't want to let them in,  I hated the mere thought of them trying to be my friends." Neku said sadly

 

"I'm so sorry you felt like that Neku." Eri said sadly

 

Neku then raised his head from his funnel collar

 

"Yeah I…I realized thanks…to all of them. Thanks to Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, Joshua and Mr. H that…I was letting the best moments in life slip away by being trapped in my sadness pushing everyone away. But…that's all apart of my past Eri. So focus on the now, who I am now, cause that's not me anymore." Neku said smiling

 

"yeah…I'm really glad that you're free Neku" Eri said smiling

 

"Yeah…me too" he said sweetly

 

They all walked around Shibuya some more happy to see Neku being talkative again, being so free and happy the way he was when they all hanged out in the RG before their lives were taken away. They all went to Ramen Don and wanted to eat ramen but there was one problem…Ken Doi was in the RG so no one was there to serve the Ramen.

 

"Um…does anyone here know how to make ramen?" Neku asked scratching his head

 

The four friends all looked at each other and then back at Neku.

 

"Uh…not really no." Rhyme said bashfully

 

"heh heh, I do!" Eri said smiling.

 

"Huh? Eri since when could you make ramen?" Shiki said startled "we've been friends all this time and I never saw you make it before."

 

"heh heh, well that's cause when we hanged out we'd go shopping Shiki." Eri said happily

 

"I'm not really that hungry so I'll make four bowels 'kay?" she added

 

"Alright sounds good" Neku said smiling

 

As the four friends waited for their ramen Beat had an idea but told Neku that he'd only tell him what it was when they had their bowels.

 

"Beat what are you scheming?" Neku said crossing his arms

 

"I told ya Phones, I ain't tellin' till we got our ramen yo. So jus' be pisatient." Beat said smiling

 

"Hm? Oh patient heh heh. I guess I'll stop asking then" Neku said with a smug smile.

 

At that moment Eri then handed over the ramen with the usual eating utensils that came with the food. Chopsticks and a spoon to eat the broth of the ramen with and of course, Wasabi sauce.

 

"Heh heh aight, now I can tell ya my idea yo." Beat said excitedly

 

"Yo Phones, since you ain't into trendy stuff I bet you didn't know that people tend to have Wasabi sauce drinking contests in Shibuya did ya?" he said with a huge grin

 

"No I didn't…what're you getting at…wait…you want me to…seriously?" Neku said shocked

 

"Uh huh, unless you scared yo, an' you wussin' out." Beat said deviously

 

"tell ya what, let me eat my ramen and I'll think it over." Neku replied

 

He then reached over to his bottle of Wasabi sauce to add its flavor to his ramen.

 

"Ah hell no Phones, you ain't usin' that on the ramen, Wasabi sauce drinkin' contests make you drink straight outta the bottle." Beat said holding Neku's bottle

 

Neku then sighed

 

"Alright, I'll eat the ramen without the sauce." Neku said smiling.

 

Shiki and Rhyme couldn't help but giggle at the situation and began eating their ramen.

 

"Hey dressy girl you know you can think 'bout makin' an extra seat so you can sit down wid us." Beat said smiling

 

"Oh okay" Eri said awkwardly

 

"just think about it. I want another chair to appear so I can sit down." Eri thought with her eyes closed

 

She then opened her eyes to see the chair next to Beat.

 

Eventually, he too began eating his ramen, Neku finished and waited for everyone else to before giving his answer.

 

"So, I gave it some thought and I'll pass man. Not trying to be a killjoy but I don't feel like making my tongue feel like its on fire." he said with a smug smile

 

Neku then hopped off of his seat and began to walk away.

 

"Let me know if you guys have any other ideas. I'm gonna try to spray paint the Ghost Cat." Neku called out as he walked away.

 

"Ha hah I knew you would wuss out man. But that's fine yo. Jus' come back when you grow a pair." Beat said provoking Neku

 

Hearing that sentence made Neku go to a halt.

 

"heh heh I got him now yo." Beat thought

 

"Did he really just say that? But I'm a ghost now. I don't even have…my pair of…" Neku thought in shock

 

As he knew what Beat meant he felt his cheeks burn.

 

He then spun around and shouted at Beat shaking his fist.

 

"H-hey I…I do have…a…a pair of….I have stones….I have that Beat!" Neku yelled

 

"heh nothin' but talk yo. I'll believe it when you prove that man." Beat said smiling

 

Neku then stormed over to the ramen shop speed walking 

 

"I have stones…" Neku grumbled

 

He then sat on the seat he was on before.

 

"heh heh aight Phones now here's how it's gonna go down." Beat said placing the Wasabi sauce bottle he took from Neku back down

 

"on the count of three we both start drinkin' the sauce whoever drinks it all first wins yo." Beat said excitedly

 

"and what happens to the loser?" Neku asked holding his bottle

 

"Hmmm, the loser will have to…run around with raman noodles an' a squid on their face yo!" Beat shouted

 

"What?! That's messed up Beat how the hell did you think that up?!" Neku shouted

 

"Hey no backin' out now Neku. You ready?" Beat said slyly

 

"uh…yeah" Neku said a little nervous at the results of losing

 

"Yo Rhyme count us down." Beat said loudly

 

"Alright, on three! One, two three!" Rhyme shouted

 

They instantly pulled off the lid of the bottle and began chugging the sauce down their throats.

 

"Rhyme?! How come you went along with this?!" Neku screamed in his head

 

"Faster! Faster! There's no way I'm losing!" Neku thought.

 

Rhyme Shiki and Eri watched the two boys amazed at how they kept going, each one of them determined not to lose. Beat's face began to burn up from the heat of the sauce causing his nose to run. Neku's eyes began to water from the intensity of the heat causing it to look like he was crying.

 

"Come on, just a bit more and I'll beat him!" Neku thought

 

The girls were on the edge of their seats eager to see who'd win. It was pretty close both Beat and Neku had nearly drank the entire bottle it was getting closer and closer until someone slammed their bottle to the table.

 

"BWAAAAAAAH! Phones what the hell?!" Beat said in shock

 

"ow!" he exclaimed

 

Beat then squeezed his head from the wasabi sauce burning his head.

 

"Beat think of a glass of water!" Rhyme shouted

 

Beat did as she suggested and quickly grabbed his glass of water as it fell from the air and began chugging it down cooling his head and Neku imagined a glass of water and drank it to try to cool down his mouth.

 

He then even took off his hat and poured the water down his head allowing its cold temperature to run down his face.

 

"ah man that's much better yo." Beat said relived while putting his hat back on.

 

"Now how the hell did you drink that so fast yo?!" Beat roared

 

"well…I…I didn't want to lose, so I just chugged it down as fast as I could. Heh, I was a little worried at first." Neku said awkwardly scratching his head

 

"Geez that's…that's badass yo. That's awesome Phones." Beat said smiling as he got to his feet

 

"Huh? Well thanks buuuut you lost man, so what did we agree on?" Neku said with his hand on his hip with his smug smile standing.

 

"yeah I know" Beat said blushing a little

 

"Jus…don' laugh man" he said bashfully

 

"Don't worry, I won't" Neku said with his little smile with his right hand on his waist and left hand still

 

"Oh and since I am the winner, it's only fitting that I give you your loser decorations right?" Neku said wirh his smug smile again

 

"Aight… yo." Beat said sternly

 

Neku then closed his eyes and snapped his fingers. He then opened his eyes to see the ramen noodles and squid fall onto his face

 

seeing this then made Shiki and the others chuckle

 

"alright get going" Neku said smiling

 

"ugh aight man, deal's a deal." Beat said feeling defeated

 

He then ran around Shibuya with a raman noodles on his face and the squid, who was comfortable laying on Beat's face, slapping him a few times with his tenticles, with Shiki and the others laughing as Neku desperately tried to hold back his urge to laugh until he couldn't anymore, despite telling Beat how he wouldn't.

 

"there you happy yo?" Beat said taking them off of his face when he got back to Neku

 

"Yeah….heh heh…I kinda needed a messed up situation like this to help me deal…in a way I'm kinda glad you dared me to do this" Neku said smiling

 

"heh well good Phones." Beat said happily

 

"You know it" Neku added

 

He then smiled as they all were amazed at how he chugged the sauce so effortlessly down his throat. Neku then tells them that it did come at a cost, that his tounge felt swollen.

 

"huh did it burn you really that bad?" Shiki said shocked

 

"Yup" Neku said scratching his head

 

He then sticks out his tounge revealing it was two times bigger than usual

 

"oh geez do you want some water or something?" Shiki said a little concerned

 

He then sticks his tounge back in his mouth

 

"Thanks but I'm good. I can make it go away" Neku replied

 

"Open up, your senses" Neku thought doing his focusing pose.

 

"I want my tounge to stop burning and not be swollen" he thought

 

He then felt the burning stop just like he thought and his tounge was pink again instead of bright red.

 

"heh heh there we go" Neku said aloud

 

They all laughed at the situation happy to see Neku being happy again and were very surprised at Neku's high pain tolerance he showed no signs of his tounge burning.

 

For once Neku was really happy he had nearly forgotten about what he did as Damien but he knew he had to get something off of his chest. He had to ask Shiki something…but later he wanted to Enjoy the moment longer.

 

"Heh heh, there you go Phones" Mr. H thought as he watched the whole event from the Composer district.

 

"I know that Damien is still bothering you but you're dealing with what happened a lot better. I'm proud of ya Neku." he thought

 

"But now…poor Phones will have to go on trial…and go through the Proxy version of the Angel's Game, the version made for when a Composer's pawn has done something terrible in the Higher Plane. I suppose he's lucky though. The normal version is a lot worse in some ways." he thought scratching his head

 

To be continued…


	3. Hidden Sadness

Mr. H and Joshua watch over Neku from their district and begin to discuss his fate amongst each other.

 

"You know if they go with the Proxy version of the Game it'll terrify Neku. He's been in dangerous situations before obviously but still, I can't help but wonder how'd he react if they made him go through that." Joshua said crossing his arms

 

"Huh? You're actually showing concern for Neku? That's not like you Joshua." Mr. H said smiling

 

Joshua then pulls back his hair looking at Mr. H with a sly smile

 

"why of course I'm worried Sanae, I wouldn't want my little Proxy to go through the normal version of their Game. If anything, that version makes the Reapers' Game actually seem fair." he added letting out his cold laugh

 

"oh and if you're going to tease me over how I helped save Neku…I was only doing my job as Composer. I couldn't let you get into more trouble now could I?" Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

Mr. H then sighed and scratched his head

 

"Still in denial huh? You did a good thing back there boss. Phones almost killed himself being tricked by Clarissa. If you hadn't saved his other friends then they and Neku would gone, forever." Mr. H said smiling

 

"You didn't have to do that Joshua, I saw how he hurt you when you were in your normal form. Fighting as your mortal form, a human, vs Neku's Demon form was really dangerous. You were really putting yourself at risk and you know that. I'm just glad you were there for Neku when he really needed ya." he added

 

This then caused Joshua to cross his arms.

 

"Mr. H you know I only did that to help my Proxy and yes…I suppose I have to care about him a little in order to have done that. But he's a normal human Mr. H, his home is the RG, not our world. I did what I had to do in order to save him so he wouldn't blow up the Higher Plane that's all." Joshua said sternly

 

"Oh, so the mighty Composer of Shibuya was putting others before himself again huh? and we were normal humans once too remember?" Mr. H said teasingly

 

"Call it what you want Mr. H but you know as well as I do what could happen to him in the trial. and...although it's been a while, yes...I remember. Hee hee, if they choose to do the normal version Neku would be completely helpless." Joshua said sinisterly

 

He then lets out his menacing laugh

 

"Poor Neku could only run for his afterlife as powerful beings would have to hurt him. Tell me Mr. H, if they chose you to play the Game as well would you be able to do such a thing to Neku?" Joshua said slyly

 

Mr. H then paused and really thought about if it came to that

 

"If they chose _that_ version of the Game and made me participate in it, instead of being on standby guarding the outer field so other Spirits didn't get involved…I…don't know…but as a Fallen Angel with my power a little weaker then those who aren't unclean, I'd still have to do that to him…Neku…he'd actually have to _watch me_ do that to him, he'd be defenseless. He'd have no way to make it stop…no way to have a fighting chance as I...would have to beat him to death." Mr. H thought morosely

 

He then looked at Joshua and gave him is awnser

 

"well, I'd have no choice boss. You know what happens to Angels that refuse to do as they command, even if they're Angels too, as a Fallen Angel, I am weaker than them." he said darkly

 

Joshua then laughed again

 

"indeed I do, let's just hope then they stick with the Higher Mind version even though that version isn't that much better. Hee hee." Joshua said with a sly smile

 

Mr. H then sighed

 

"still as twisted as ever huh Josh?" he said with a little smile

 

"Hee hee I suppose so" Joshua said while pulling his hair back.

 

They then watched Neku hang out with his friends and were happy he was enjoying himself and saw Shiki fix the back of his shirt.

 

He walked with them and lead Eri to the tag mural in Udagawa.

 

"Whoa…this is graffiti from CAT?" Eri said amazed

 

"heh heh yup it's amazing isn't it? I mean the fact that he used so many colors and designs and still kept the Ghost Cat the main focus is pretty sweet. At least to me." Neku said smiling

 

"Huh? But I thought graffiti was bad and not to mention illegal Neku. That it was done by gangs and they'd run around defacing the city with those ugly little scribbles! Don't tell me you do that too?!" Eri cried

 

"Huh? Eri…you really think I'm part of a gang?" Neku asked crossing his arms

 

"well yeah isn't what people involved in graffiti do?" she asked shyly

 

"No…well not all of them." he answered

 

"you see Eri, Graffiti isn't a bad thing. It's really awesome once you look past the stereotypes." Neku said smiling

 

"What? How is graffiti good? It costs tons of yen just to remove that scribbly stuff." Eri said crossing her arms

 

Neku then awkwardly scratched his head

 

"She's just like the others. I can't say I blame her though since graffiti's rep has been trashed by gangs" Neku thought

 

He then placed his hand on his hip and smiled

 

"it looks like you need to expand your world and learn something new" Neku said with a smug smile

 

Shiki Beat and Rhyme all smiled with Shiki and Rhyme giggling

 

"heh heh now you've done it Eri." Shiki said happily

 

"yeah now you'll know what graffiti really is" Rhyme added

 

"huh you mean there's more?" Eri said in shock

 

Neku then chuckled

 

"Yup it looks like you don't know a lot about it Eri. You see…

 

"here he goes" Shiki thought smiling

 

"The first modern Graffiti Writer was a guy called Cornbread, who started tagging city walls to get the attention of a girl in the 1960's in Philadelphia. Back then, the old school graffiti was done with permanent marker. Eventually, it evolved into graffiti artists and writers using spray paint cans. And the art form spreaded to New York where it stayed for a few years. Eventually, graffiti went all around the world and eventually reached Japan, reaching here, Shibuya." he said smiling

 

He eventually explained other graffiti terms like Bombing a wall (which is covering the entire wall in graffiti like the Ghost Cat Tagmural in Udagawa) versus Tagging it (which usually is just the graffiti artist's name) and the difference between a Crew (a team or group of graffiti artists that make art to express their ideas and beliefs) and a Gang (people who spray scribbles of graffiti to mark territory not real graffiti it is not considered art), as well as explaining the difference between a graffiti artist and a graffiti writter. He also explained what a tag mural is.

 

"okay so a tag mural is like making the entire wall a canvas for the art and is described as a form of beautification and a tag is when someone uses their name or nick name in the graffiti?" Eri asked

 

 

"heh heh exactly and that's why the art work CAT made in Udagawa is classified as a tag mural. Cause it's a bit of both." Neku said happily

 

Neku then explained the reason why most graffiti people see is the type done by gangs not true graffiti.

 

"oh…so Crews have to spray paint at night or at dawn to not get caught?! That's crazy Neku! It's so sad what's become of graffiti. Is there a way to fix that?" Eri said hopeful

 

"Sadly no. Graffiti is considered vandalism in pretty much every country but, some cities like Shibuya, for instance, have grown more accepting of the art form by allowing graffiti to stay in the city and not remove it. Plus some cities also have legal walls, areas that permit graffiti you see." Neku explained

 

"But some graffiti artists claim that that's not real graffiti part of the art style is the intensity, the rush knowing you could get caught by the police which is why graffiti tends to have bold strong colors and designs used to express that intensity." he added

 

I work alone when I do graffiti I just find it less stressful but there are benefits to having a Crew versus a solo graffiti artist. With a crew it's a lot easier to watch out for the cops and you can create larger and more detailed works of art with more graffiti artists." Neku said smiling

 

Shiki loved seeing how excited Neku gets when talking about graffiti he looks so happy so passionate telling all the information he knows about it.

 

"so now do you see Eri? Graffiti applies many art techniques like shading, highlighting and blending colors together, just like painting…but through a spray paint can…heh heh. So well…what do you think?" Neku said eagerly

 

"well based off of all the things you said backing up why you love graffiti I see what you mean. Graffiti isn't bad just misunderstood." Eri said smiling

 

"I kinda have a deep sense of respect for them now, painting in general is really tough from the way you describe it, but to then have the paint flying in the air out of a spray paint can having to work against gravity to get the affect you want…geez it sounds so stressful Neku." she added

 

Neku then laughs telling her it is at first but once you practice doing it, it gets easier.

 

They all walked around the city some more with Neku teaching her how to harness her imagination and taught her how to become an Enlighten at least half way since they were in the HP Shibuya and he didn't want to overload it.

 

Eventually the friends all parted ways with Eri making her own house

 

With the two friends by themselves Neku thought now would be a good time to finally ask Shiki the question that was bothering him so much.

 

They sat on the rails by the Hachiko Statue, looking at the sky

 

"So what's up Neku? What do you wanna ask?" Shiki said curiously

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"well I just…" 

 

 

"Should I really ask her?" Neku thought

 

 

 noticing how quiet he was, Shiki then tried to snap him out of it

 

 

"So what did you want to ask me?" she said smiling a little

 

"well…it's just…I've done so many awful things Shiki…I killed people…I…I messed with your head, twice. We…we were dancing and I pretended to be nice to you…

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"Only to use the same attack I used when I almost killed you in the UG. But…as Damien, I wanted to hurt you…I…I guess what I'm trying to say is...how can you stand to be around me?" he said hurt

 

"What?! Neku how can you say such a thing?! You're my friend and-

 

"Shiki…please…I need to know…so please just answer me." Neku said as he felt his heartache

 

"how can you stand to be around the person that almost killed you…multiple times?" he said with his hands balled up into fists

 

"Neku…it's because I know you. You're my friend and-

 

seeing how Shiki was trying to sugarcoat what Neku did again, Neku became frustrated

 

 

"Please Shiki just cut the crap! Think about it! When Uzuki told me that I had a ticket out of the Game, how I wanted to get out of it no matter what, think about the situation she put me in! She said I had to kill you or else I would've died…she would've killed me. When I used that Psych to almost kill you…and then Mr. H saved you…what did you think of me?" he said desperately needing to know.

 

Shiki, seeing him hide his face until only his bangs showed, hated how hurt he felt. But she knew she couldn't try to cheer him up, he needed that closure of knowing how she felt about that.

 

"Alright…I…I'll tell you." Shiki said sadly feeling her eyes burn a little

 

"I'm sorry Neku" She thought

 

"you scared me Neku…I didn't know what to think! I was just in shock that I almost died and that you…you almost killed me. I felt nervous around you, like if I got you angry you might attack me. I was scared of you! I started to wonder if maybe I should get a different partner! I wasn't sure what to think but…

 

Neku then raised his head and looked at her filled with shock.

 

"I…I knew that for the sake of us winning the Game that I had to look past it. But…I also knew how you didn't like me, as if I did something wrong. You were always angry at me, always sad in front of me, always running away from me." Shiki said sadly

 

"and I wanted to know WHY! Why did you look so angry and sad Neku?! Why is it that you'd shut down whenever Beat and Rhyme were there?! I wanted to talk to you! So when you finally opened up to me, and started talking to me I felt happy. I wanted to know what goes behind a name. What made you so sad? so hurt and what made you that way! I…I was curious about you, downright intrigued Neku!" She screamed at him

 

"what?…you…you looked past it? Past my sadness and anger cause you...wanted to? I…I was always thought that people want to be around happy people. That I annoyed my friends back then, and that's why they left." he said filled with sadness

 

"how come you looked past it?" he said weakly

 

"because unlike those people, that sadness didn't annoy me. It drew me towards you. I wanted to support you and try to be there for you. That's why I wanted to find you when I was in A-East in the UG. Not just because you were my Partner, and I had to be with you to survive, but also because I didn't want to leave you. Even if there were times where we would get mad at each other." Shiki explained

 

 

"It was like trying to unlock a safe so to speak. Trying to see what numbers would work until the safe finally opened and let me see what was inside. That's why I said to you to: let me in, tell me what you're thinking, that I just wanted to understand you. I wanted to because that sadness you felt, it was familiar to me…even though I hid that from you for the first few days, desperately trying to be someone I'm not. That's why I looked past it Neku. The way you felt back then, being hurt by people, is the way I felt every day...but towards myself." she said looking at him, noticing that saying that made him look at her sadly

 

"yeah you killed people, you almost killed me multiple times including what you did in the UG but…the UG attempt was a trick, an accident, you were just trying to survive. Plus that Reaper made me look bad, like I was ratting you out to them every time I used my phone. So, of course, you would be angry thinking I was a traitor! and the times you attempted as the Demon Lord were beyond your control, so I know that wasn't you... and you're also kind and supportive and very gentlemanly. When you're not pushing me away anymore." She said smiling

 

 

"you helped me feel better when I told you who I really was. And even when I told you that I might've slowed you down, you said not to worry about it and that we did our best… you encouraged me to be myself. And you would look out for me like when you said for me not to be stupid and get lost. Plus...when I really needed it, you...you said that when you saw what I really looked like, that it wouldn't change anything, that we'd still be friends, that I'll always be me" she said sweetly

 

She then placed her hand on his left hand which was relaxed and no longer a fist

 

"Please Neku, please don't hold this in anymore. Don't spend your eternity feeling like you're a crazy person that needs to go away from everyone…I could feel you bottling this up when we hung out together. Please don't do that anymore Neku. Do you know that that hurts me too? Like it wasn't enough? That even though you're back to yourself again that you're suffering? Like I'm…too weak! that the imprinting wasn't enough?" she said hanging her head

 

"So please don't hold this in Neku…you said to me that you can control the demon energy now so everything will be okay." she said squeezing his hand

 

"But for how long Shiki? How long will things be okay? As long as I still have demon energy inside me…I'm…I'm still a demon. I could turn into Damien at any point…what if that happens?" he said hanging his head again

 

"It won't happen Neku. I know it won't because you said you can control it. So I believe you. I know that even if you went full demon, that you'd still be yourself…not Damien." she said raising her head to look at him

 

He then raised his head to look at her

 

"I know you Neku and when you put your mind to something, nothing, not even the Conductor was able to stand in your way. You have a strong sense of who you are Neku…something I never had until I met you. So as long as you hang on to that…I know you'll be okay." she said smiling

 

Neku then smiled back at her gentle words

 

"thanks" he said weakly

 

"Don't mention it Neku." she said sweetly


	4. Changed For Good

"come on, let's get outta here." Shiki said smiling as she rose to her feet

 

"yeah" Neku said smiling

 

They then got up and began to walk away from the statue and Shiki asked if Neku was really okay just to be sure. He reassured her that he feels much better since coming to terms with how she felt after all the things she went through while trying to save him, how she felt after he almost killed her in the UG, and the fact that Damien's apart of him. Shiki then smiled and added that Beat, Rhyme and Eri all feel the same way that they trust Neku…as for Joshua, she just giggled saying that he's hard to figure out.

 

"well that's putting it lightly isn't it?" Neku said with a smug smile with his hand on his hip

 

She then laughed and said that Joshua is a mystery.

 

"He shows compassion one minute, like how he tried to protect you from Coco, or how  he fought to get you back, and then goes back to his stuck up, and kinda creepy self again." she said smiling doing her hand gesture for giggling

 

"kinda creepy? Try having to put up with those almost instant changes in his behavior for a week." Neku chuckled

 

"But still" he added "As creepy as Joshua is…I…I feel like I can relate to him. We'd talk about how people are just…hard to understand…and how he saw Shibuya the same way I use to…he…he was alone too, all he had was Mr. H. it's kinda weird huh? Being able to relate to a Death God?"

 

"yeah it really is but, I think that's why Joshua saved us just in time Neku, to fight to bring you back. Although he'd probably never admit it, I really think that fight proved not just to me, but to all of us that Joshua sees you more than his Proxy." Shiki said happily with her right hand on her waist and left hand upward

 

"Yeah…I think so too. He didn't have to come and help you guys…I mean he sees people die all the time so it'd be no big deal to see a few more die…but, in the end, he was there for us…like how Josh bought us back to life. Sure he's crazy, and manipulative and a total ass sometimes 'cause of how he loves to piss me off but…in the end, I don't think Joshua's such a bad guy. I still haven't forgiven him for taking my life at Udagawa…but…I still trust him." Neku said smiling

 

"if anything we should be glad he's on our side, that he's a friend…I mean he's so twisted! Can you imagine what he'd be like if he was our enemy?! If he tried to kill us?!" he said thoughtfully

 

"ugh that's just messed up. I have chills just by thinking about that. You're right Neku…I don't know if he sees me Beat and Rhyme as friends but…I know he at least doesn't hate us 'cause then we'd no longer exist." Shiki added

 

"heh heh yeah…well I guess I'll go back to my apartment now" Neku said getting ready to walk away

 

"okay I guess I'll go back to my place too, there's some stuff I wanna sew anyway." Shiki said happily

 

"Alright I'll see you later then." he said happily

 

Unknown to them is that they were being watched over by Joshua and Mr. H again who over heard their conversation about Joshua.

 

"I don't understand this Mr. H" Joshua said sternly while crossing his arms

 

"I'm an immortal, all powerful being. I'm a Death God, and yet they're not scared of me or even intimidated by me…having a Human Soul want to be my friend is just so odd…and now they all like me? Is it because I saved them or something else?" Joshua said curiously with his hand on his chin

 

"Hah hah come on Boss, you know better than to think like that, you're more than just a Death God, you're a kid, just like them. Of course they all like you, they just don't know you as well as Phones got to in the Reapers' Game. Maybe if you spent some time with them there, you'd see why they all see you as a friend." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Hee hee, Mr. H you know I can't do that. I'm still in trouble for how I ran the Reapers' Game and my punishment was to be restricted to only killing humans…then again I did defy the Higher Ups' orders in order to save Neku…I just hope I don't get punished for that too. In fact, I think the only reason that we haven't gone on trial for our misdeeds by now is because the Higher Ups really like us." the teen Composer said thoughtfully

 

"You're their best soldier regardless of your fallen ranking…and very powerful for someone who isn't an Angel naturally. Besides, I like the Reapers' Game and thought playing it was kind of fun. I also find it intriguing how it improves onself on a supernatural level, allowing Humans that were bold enough, to go through a sort of evolution and become Reapers, increasing the overall capabilities of their mind and body. As well as increasing their life span far beyond a Humans'." Joshua added

 

"True, we're lucky that they like us so much, and I agree, it's not supposed to be bad, but I doubt Phones would see it that way. Doesn't help that he then died again shortly after going back to the RG, to play the Reapers' Game again thanks to Coco. Anyway, if you really wanna be with them, I think you could still do your job from down there. You know, the alternate method in killing humans" Mr. H said nudging Joshua's arm

 

Joshua then let's out his sly little laugh

 

"Yes I know what you're implying Sanae. Hee hee but I'm not very fond of the telepathic version. I like to be able to watch the humans when I kill them, especially since there's such a massive variety of ways I can kill them. I'm personally very fond of the more gruesome deaths such as when I get to control a bus and make it run over someone, or run over someone with a train, especially since there are so many of them in Shibuya. Even something as simple as making someone roll down some stairs and bash their head on the final step killing them, is very fun to me." he said smiling

 

"yet I'm not a ruthless Death God, I'll only kill them based on the death that is assigned to them Sanae…but I can't help but like the idea of doing both now that I think about it. I'd get to tease Neku, since he has such a strong temper hee hee, and kill the humans." Joshua added slyly

 

Joshua then turned to Mr. H and smiled

 

"alright, I'll go Mr. H and hangout with them…hee hee I wonder if they'll catch on to what I'm doing." he added sinisterly while pulling his hair back

 

Mr. H then shook his head and sighed

 

"You're still so twisted Joshua, just like the day we met. Heh heh but I still think you have gotten a little nicer Boss, like when you spared Shibuya." Mr. H said smiling

 

Joshua then scoffed

 

"You always look on the bright side of things don't you Sanae? Hee hee such an Angel." he said with his hands in his back pockets

 

"Yeah but that can't be helped, even when I was a normal guy, I've always just...been that way remember?" Mr. H said laid back

 

"Hee hee I remember." Joshua said slyly

 

"Well, see ya later boss" Mr. H said happily

 

"See you later Sanae" Joshua said with a little wave

 

He then teleports himself to the HP Shibuya and walked around the city and then came to a stop standing in place.

 

"Hmmm, I could probably surprise Neku by teleporting to his house again, like when I recorded him singing on my phone." Joshua thought

 

"But still I need to remember why I'm here."

 

Joshua then closed his eyes allowing himself to see the RG and the thousands of people he'd get to kill.

 

He sees everyone's names written in kanji, their birthdays, as well as the month, date, time and style of death that person is meant to die.

 

"So this one is Natural death…hmmm this limits me to only effecting their body…oh well." he thought in his head

 

With a snap of his fingers, he made the person he saw in the RG assigned a Natural death to die of a heart attack right in front of the scramble.

 

It caused people to panic and try to wake the person up while others preceded to call for an ambulance.

 

"Hee hee, humans are so pathetic don't they see their wasting their time doing that?" Joshua thought smiling

 

Joshua killed people telepathically sending more human souls to the HP Shibuya. As he did this Neku was in his room thinking about the things Mr. H and Shiki told him.

 

He laid on his bed staring at the ceiling of the bedroom

 

"They're right" Neku thought "I've got this under control…as long as I remember who I am then it'll be okay."

 

Neku then got to his feet and went to his bathroom to look at the mirror there, and then closed his eyes and did his focus pose.

 

"Alright, if I for some reason have to go full Demon…I don't want to look the way I did as Damien, it'd bring back those memories for them…and all the things I did to them…I mean…the things Clarissa MADE ME do to them…I want…to be like him. I want to enjoy the moment and not let my concerns about my demon energy hold me back. I want to live free like CAT. It's like what he said to me before, to expand my world." he thought

 

When he opened his eyes he was a full demon but without Clarissa's powerful energy it wasn't enough to overload the HP Shibuya.

 

He was Damien once more but his clothes changed, they resembled what Mr. H wears except that the shirt under the black vest he was wearing was indigo colored and went a few inches past the black vest. He had his yellow wristband on his right hand still, and still had his belt on but it was attached to black pants that resembled his demon hair color and pitch black shoes that had an indigo stripe on the side outlined in yellow, but in the shape of a lightning bolt.

 

When Neku really looked at himself he smiled noticing the resemblance

 

"Hm? These clothes look a lot like…heh heh was I thinking about him during the transformation? Maybe it's cause I was thinking about him before and the things he said to me." he thought smiling

 

When he smiled he still had his shark teeth and saw that his claws were seven inches long again.

 

"No…I don't want to look like this unless I have to attack someone, then I can rely on my sharp teeth and claws if necessary." Neku thought as he stared at the mirror

 

When he thought this his claws reduced to the size of what's considered to be long fingernails, and his teeth resembled his second demon form just more dull.

 

"Heh heh there, now they'll know I'm still me." he said aloud smiling.

 

Neku then changed back and decided to go for a walk unaware that someone was on their way to his house. The person then knocked on his door asking if they can come in

 

"huh? That sounds like…sweet I guess she wants to hang out." Neku thought happily he approached the front door and responded by saying that the person could come into the house.

 

"hey there Rhyme." Neku said smiling

 

"Heh heh hey Neku. I was wondering well…do you wanna go for a walk with me?" she asked happily

 

"Sure" Neku replied

 

They then leave the house and start walking around Shibuya.

 

"Hey Neku…do you ever miss your parents? You know now that we're here?" Rhyme asked curiously

 

"Yeah…I do… I mean...I love being away from my parents as much as the next guy, but...it kinda sucks knowing our families are there in the RG and there's nothing we can do for them to be happy. At least we know now that they'll be with us again." he said smiling

 

"I just wish that I could see them you know? I just miss them a lot and thanks to the advice you've given Beat he's starting to get along better with our parents." she said happily

 

Neku then awkwardly scratched his head

 

"Heh heh, well I was just trying to be there for him that's all. You and him helped me out a lot you know." he said sweetly

 

"huh? But Neku, I was never your partner like how Beat was. How did I help you?" she asked curiously

 

Neku then chuckled happy at how he's getting to spend time with his friends again

 

"You don't see it but, you were already there for me. You were willing to help me and Shiki despite how I didn't like you back then, and really showed me how far loyalty can push a person, how that determination to be there for that person can make you overcome even the most overwhelming odds."

 

"when you were erased Rhyme" Neku continued "Beat felt a huge amount of guilt, he wanted to be there for you no matter what, to the point he joined the Reapers, only to betray them to save me from erasure. He pushed himself harder and harder always talking about how he had to be there for you, just like how you were for him."

 

"really?" Rhyme said in shock

 

"yeah, I mean you were erased you know? He could've just as easily give into the sadness he felt and give up…but…because you're his sister, because you're his family he pushed himself determined to even go against the Composer to bring you back. He did all of it, for you. And it's because of that I got to see first hand how much that loyalty can take someone, you taught me how putting someone above yourself can make you do things you never thought possible and you even helped me when you were a Noise, you taught Beat how to use his cards for attacks, you were there for me a lot" Neku said smiling at her

 

"Neku…I…I don't know what to say but…thank you. All this time I thought we could never really be friends cause I was never there for you in the UG except for when I was a squirrel Noise. I'm really happy you feel that way." she said smiling at him.

 

"Heh heh well it's true each one of you impacted me in some way inspiring me to expand my world. That's why I was so angry at myself knowing…knowing that I almost lost everything. She made the thing I hate the most come true Rhyme." Neku said hanging his head

 

"What? What's that? If you don't want to tell me it's okay Neku really" Rhyme exclaimed trying to cheer him up

 

"Thanks but, I don't want to hold things in anymore, all it does is hurt me. So…what freaks me out so much is…the idea of losing all of you. You're my friends and…now that I finally know what it's like to have people around me that I can trust, I…I don't want to lose that!" he exclaimed

 

"I was so close to no longer having…anyone! Clarissa made me almost beat you guys to death…but…

 

Neku then sighed and managed to calm down

 

"That's why I'm glad you're here Rhyme…that you're all here." he said smiling

 

"Heh heh there you go Neku! And…I'm sorry that that almost happened but it's like you said we're all here now Neku, so focus on that." she said sweetly

 

"yeah…I will" he said happily

 

They walked around the city some more with Rhyme pointing out how they'll never get older now and wonders what it's like to be at Neku's height.

 

He then stopped walking causing Rhyme to do the same

 

"Hmmm, well I could give you an idea of what it's like" Neku said with his arms crossed as he smiled

 

Neku then kneeled down for Rhyme to hop on his back

 

She then giggled and hopped on and wrapped her arms around Neku's shoulders laying them underneath his funnel collar. He then wrapped his arms around her legs piggyback riding her.

 

Rhyme then giggled again

 

"everything's so high up from here" she said smiling

 

"heh heh yeah I guess now you're technically taller than me cause of how you're above my head" Neku said chuckling

 

They then laughed happy that they were spending time together when they spotted Joshua.

 

"Hee hee hello there Neku." Joshua said slyly

 

"Huh? Joshua how come you're not in the Composer district? I thought the Higher Ups wanted you to be there." Neku said confused

 

"well I figured that I could do my job down here and still hang out with you Neku." Joshua said while pulling his hair back

 

"Ugh do you have to be creepy about everything?" Neku snarled

 

Joshua then laughed and noticed Rhyme on his shoulders

 

"Hm? Was I interrupting a little moment between you two" he said smiling

 

"yeah you kinda were" Neku said with a smug smile

 

Joshua then explained that he can kill humans by just thinking about how they're suppose to die which is why he's with them, so he can still do his job and find out why Neku's other friends aren't scared of him.

 

As they all hanged out in the HP Shibuya Mr. H was analyzing why Neku had his energy pour out of him in the Demon realm.

 

"Energy doesn't just flow out on its own…someone has to tear through the Soul and unleash all the energy stored within it. But at the same time even the transparent skin a Human Soul has is part of the energy…this means that that pain that Phones felt…was triggered by someone…someone got him from behind and attacked him with the intent of killing him. Could it have been her? No…Shiki killed her…so then who would attack Neku wanting to go to the core of his Soul and go to his Soul Code?" Mr. H thought concerned

 

"If I'm right then this means we have a new threat to deal with in addition to Neku's trial." he thought grimly


	5. A New Threat

Mr. H began to wonder whether or not to tell Neku about his discovery, that someone tried to kill him. He wants him to finally be at peace and be happy with his friends. He then decided to watch over Neku more closely and think of a time to tell him…or to tell someone else. He knows all the horrible things he has gone through and wants to preserve the peace that he finally has no matter what.

 

Feeling concerned for Neku's safety he then reports this new information to the Higher Ups who tell him that it's a good a idea for him to monitor Neku and report to them anything else that he learns about the person that attacked him. They also began to discuss whether or not to still put Neku on trial.

 

"You know as well as I that this could be a demon trying to dispose of Neku for not retiring from his title as Demon Lord properly, and because of this, see him leaving their realm as an act of betrayal." Amonae said sternly

 

"yes I am aware of this, but the boy can't go unpunished. Neku Sakuraba will still go on trial, but for now let's let Sanae monitor the Composer's Proxy to see if he can find out anything new about the demon that attacked Neku in the Demon Lord's throne room" Aiden replied smiling

 

A tall sender man in a white cloak named Ryuga, removed his hood to reveal silver hair parted to the left and blackish gray eyes, with pale skin, also added something to the conversation.

 

"Aiden my lord, if I may add something" he asked "I think we shouldn't allow the boy anymore time to relax, the sooner we put him on trail, the sooner all of this chaos will end."

 

"it is true Aiden" another Maestro added named Ryu

 

He has dark purple hair that goes to his shoulders and dark blue eyes with pale skin.

 

"The sooner the boy goes on the trail the sooner the Higher Plane will be at peace again." he added

 

A female Maestro named Yuki with long pinkish red hair that flowed down her back, with her bangs parted to the right, and redish purple eyes also added her input to what Ryu said

 

"Yes we must consider the safety of the Higher Plane and also the Souls that inhabit it." she added

 

Amonae then took off her hood and revealed her long light blue hair which laid on her back with her bangs split down the middle

 

"I agree. Neku Sakuraba must be punished for what he has done, as well as be held accountable for the events of the Reapers' Game due to Joshua's deal. Remember that the trial was delayed already thanks to Neku Sakuraba dying once again due to that reaper Coco, forcing him to play the Reapers' Game again, which we allowed Joshua to be the Composer of the UG once again, though only with us watching him very carefully. We had delay his trail again thanks to the events that have happened so far. We must place him on trial now that we finally have a chance" she said to Aiden, making him nod in understanding

 

Aiden then removed his hood, revealing long red hair and blood red eyes

 

"I understand, all of these are valid points. We shall then hold Neku's trial very soon to hold him accountable for what he has done" he declared

 

The five Maestros all then came to an agreement to allow Mr. H five days (according to the rise and setting of the sun in the HP Shibuya) to gather any information he can and if possible make a plan to preserve Neku's safety so he can go on trial.

 

They then summoned Mr. H to them and gave him his assignment.

 

"Do you think you can manage this?" Aiden asked

 

Mr. H then kneeled to Aiden and went full blast revealing his Angel form. A common way of showing respect to the Maestros, that the person that stands before them reveals who they truly are to them.

 

"Yes sir, will make sure the Proxy is safe so he can be put on trail." Mr. H replied

 

He was then dismissed to the Composer district where he thought of a plan to protect Neku.

 

"Since the Demons know Neku didn't retire as the Demon Lord properly and just left their world, they could easily see it as a sign of abandonment, and try to kill him for it. The one demon that I'm still trying to identify tried to kill Neku so he couldn't leave the Demon Realm…it looks like I'll have to do something drastic incase worse comes to worse." Mr. H thought

 

He then scratched his head and sighed

 

"This is gonna be really tough…I don't want to teach her that technique. It may be too much for her, but given the circumstances, this may be the only to save Phones should he get hurt…I don't want to put so much stress on her, but she's had Angel energy in her longer than Beat and Rhyme and because of that, that gives her an advantage in making her energy more adjusted to her. I guess now I just have to think of when I'm gonna tell her." he thought concerned

 

As Mr. H thought of when to reveal his information he saw Joshua walking with Neku and Rhyme (who was no longer on his back) they noticed that Joshua would stare off into space a bit and asked him what was wrong.

 

"It isn't like you to just stare off like that." Neku said while crossing his arms

 

"Yeah are you up to something?" Rhyme said curiously

 

Joshua then pulled back his hair and smiled at them

 

"Hee hee, in a way I am. You see I'm merely doing my job as Composer here in the HP Shibuya…I'm also a little curious about you and all of Neku's other friends." Joshua said slyly

 

"And…since you're a Death God your job's then…Joshua…were you…killing people?" Rhyme said nervously

 

"Well of course Rhyme, I kill humans when they are meant to die. After all I'm not an evil form of energy, I'm merely trying to preserve the RG and the Higher Plane. We can't let the RG get too populated with humans or else the human race would become so over populated that they would have to kill each other in order to bring the population down. But by doing this it would cause all of society to collapse and if it got really out of control the humans could annihilate their entire race." Joshua said smiling with his hands in his back pockets.

 

"So…your job actually helps people?" Rhyme said in shock

 

"Mhm. But the five of you all died at the wrong time. All of you have very long life spans. In other words you all died too early." he replied

 

"All of us? Including me?" Neku said surprised

 

"Of course Neku, did you think that being my Proxy meant you died early?" Joshua said laughing a little

 

Neku then scratched his head feeling awkward.

 

"well…yeah…I didn't know what else to think, I mean you killed me to fight for you." he admitted

 

"Anyway" Neku continued "why are you curious about my other friends? I've also got another question to ask after you answer my first one."

 

Joshua then sighed at Neku's curiosity.

 

"Some things never change I suppose" Joshua thought

 

He then explained that he's not use to being around human souls that don't feel intimidated by him. That he's used to Fledglings trembling at the force of his presence.

 

"But the only reason we don't feel that is because you're powered down Joshua" Neku added

 

"Yes but usually even when I'm powered down just being in my presence is enough to scare people…just like how my presence made you feel nervous and unsafe around me in the UG. so it makes me wonder why you guys aren't like that." Joshua said with a curious look on his face

 

Neku then smiled at Joshua and told him what he thinks

 

"Well…I know you don't see it this way…but…to me at least, you're my friend Joshua. You've saved my ass from Demons over and over again. You were there for me. just like how you brought me, Shiki, Beat, and somehow even Rhyme back to life. You didn't have to help them bring me back you know…but you did Josh."

 

Joshua then let's out his sinister laugh at what Neku told him

 

"I was only there to save my Proxy Neku. After all, I would've been in even more trouble if I hadn't saved you. That is the reason why I saved you." Joshua said slyly as Rhyme smiled at him

 

"Heh heh, you can't fool us Joshua you fought Neku's Demon form like crazy." Rhyme said happily

 

"Believe what you want Rhyme but I was there for my Proxy." Joshua insisted

 

"Heh heh okay Josh…we get it." Neku said chuckling at how Joshua's in denial.

 

"Now what was your other question?" Joshua asked

 

They then stopped walking to see Neku hiding his face in his funnel collar until only his bangs showed

 

"Back before I felt that pain in my back…that my energy leaked out of me…I saw you noticed someone. He looked like a Demon but…his skin was transparent. The moment I made I contact with that person…he…he jumped out of one of the stain glass windows. Joshua…who was that guy?" Neku said weakly

 

Joshua then pulled his hair back and let's out his sinister laugh at Neku

 

"Why Neku I find that rather odd that you wouldn't remember an old friend. Hee hee." he said smiling

 

Neku then raised his head an gasped at the realization.

 

"No…you don't mean?…Taki…he's a Demon now?" Neku said sadly

 

"Well, not completely. He's half Demon, half Spirit. In other words, he's a creature that's not supposed to exist." Joshua replied

 

"But…why? If Taki's still sane, why did he leave when he saw me?" Neku asked hurt.

 

"that's because he sees himself as a monster and didn't want to be near you because he didn't want you to see him that way." Joshua added

 

"I can't believe it…Taki…he was right there and--

 

"it's okay Neku" Rhyme said smiling at him

 

"Yeah Taki ran away but we can find him you know? Don't worry about it, plus Taki's really strong, he helped us kill some demons, so he can definitely take care of himself."

 

Neku then smiled back at her, happy that Taki was there for his friends.

 

"yeah…you're right Rhyme, thanks" he said smiling

 

"heh heh don't mention it Neku" Rhyme said happily

 

As the three friends wandered Shibuya Neku revealed a surprise to them, unaware that he was close to Beat and Rhyme's house.

 

"You guys remember when I said that I can control my Demon energy now?" Neku said happily

 

"Yeah I remember" Rhyme exclaimed

 

"Of course Neku" Joshua added

 

"Heh heh, well now I can go full blast as a Demon now and still have control." Neku said smiling

 

He then closed his eyes and snapped his fingers revealing the new outfit he wears as Damien.

 

"Hee hee, those clothes resemble a certain Angel I know Neku." Joshua said with his hair pulled back

 

"Yeah heh heh, I like the lightning bolts on your shoes Neku." Rhyme said happily

 

"Thanks Rhyme…and…yeah I guess my clothes kinda do look like Mr. H huh?" he added with a smug smile while placing his hand on his hip.

 

At that moment as they continued their conversation, Beat recreated his skateboard and charged out of the house.

 

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH! YOU AIN'T GONNA HURT RHYYYYYYYYME!" Beat roared

 

He then leaped into the air and pounced at Neku leaping off of his skateboard

 

 

Neku quickly retaliated by transforming into a puff of smoke and flew away from Beat to try to get some distance.

 

"Beat stop! That's Neku remember?!" Rhyme shouted

 

"aw man, he got to you too yo! Phones ain't a Demon no more! I'mma bring him back!" Beat roared

 

Joshua somewhat amused by this situation, then simply looked at Neku curiously wondering what he would do next as Beat ran towards him.

 

As Neku flew farther, Beat shot his energy at the puff of smoke causing Neku to scream.

 

He then went back to his demon form clenching his right shoulder.

 

"Beat, Rhyme's right! It's me Neku! Can't you tell?!" he shouted urgently as he dodged Beat's punches

 

"heh I ain't fallin' for that yo! I'mma pound ALL of dat demon energy outta you!" Beat screamed

 

As Beat kept trying to punch Neku, he then grabbed Beat's right arm and threw him into the air. Neku then teleported himself to the same distance he threw Beat and grabbed Beat again to teleport him back to the ground.

 

"Would Damien have teleported you back to the ground like that to have a safe landing?!" Neku shouted

 

"Heh you jus' pretendin' to be all nice 'n stuff, the same way you messed wid Shiki yo!" Beat roared

 

He then grabbed Neku by his throat and began choking him, and electrocuted Neku with his energy making him scream.

 

"BEAT STOP IT!" Rhyme screamed as she tried to pull him off of Neku

 

Shiki and Eri spot the commotion from Shiki's house, since they were hanging out together, and ran towards Beat

 

"Beat what're you doing?!" Shiki screamed "That's Neku you're hurting!"

 

"Yeah Shiki's right Beat! She told me that Neku can control his Demon energy now! You're hurting Neku!" Eri screamed

 

"Nngh! J-Joshua…a little help?" Neku wheezed

 

"Oh really? I found this rather entertaining but…alright" Joshua said with a smug smile while his hands were in his pockets

 

He then snapped his fingers freezing Beat in place. He then pulled Neku away from Beat and lowered Beat's hands to a more relaxed position.

 

"Beat you need to listen to me okay? Neku is able to unleash his full Demon form because of how he only has Cedric's energy in him now. He has more control over his Demon powers now. Why do you think he's dressed differently? To distance himself from when he was the Demon Lord. Look closely at Neku's clothes Beat, they should remind you of someone." Joshua said smiling

 

He then unfroze Beat

 

"Huh?…Them clothes look like Coffee Man's clothes yo, an' you wearin' your little yellow wristband, an' you still got your belt…an' you shoes got stripes just like…

 

Beat then hanged his head

 

"Yo man, I'm sorry. I thought you was gonna mess wid Rhyme. You okay Phones?" he said sadly

 

He then raised his head to see Neku panting out of breath.

 

"yeah…I'm fine Beat, luckily my Demon skin can let me tolerate more serious wounds…in other words…I can take more of a beating with this form." Neku said weakly

 

He then snapped his fingers and went back to his Fledgling form and did his focusing pose to remove the wounds Beat gave him.

 

Beat apologizes again with Neku reassuring him that he was just trying to protect his sister. Neku also added that he should've told him about the Demon form so this situation wouldn't have happened.

 

The six friends all hanged out together with them eventually going to the Enlighten Realm to teach Eri how to go full Enlighten. Neku's other friends were going to try to teach him how to become an Angel but noticed he was still recovering from the impact of Beat's attacks making his body a little sore.

 

After hanging out more startling Joshua with how friendly everyone was to him, they eventually all parted ways with Neku returning to his house.

 

"Note to self…never piss off Beat…Geez if he did all of that when I was just a Human Soul and not in my Demon form…I…I think he could've killed me." Neku thought a little nervous

 

He then takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly and began to walk up the stairs that lead to his room.

 

As this happened Mr. H teleported Shiki to the Enlighten Realm where he was going to reveal his information to her.

 

Neku opened the door shocked to see a Demon in his room.

 

He had a black longsleeved shirt on with a V-neck split down the middle, a dark red shirt underneath and had blueish black pants on with black shoes. He also had short choppy black hair that was long in the front and short in the back.

 

The mysterious man then smiled at Neku

 

"Hello there, there's no need for alarm. I just want to talk to you." the man said

 

Neku then instantly snapped his fingers transforming into Damien.

 

"yeah right. I know better than to trust a Demon." Neku snarled

 

"Ah so you're the one that once ruled the Demon Realm." he said excitedly

 

"Once ruled? What are you-

 

"I'm your replacement." the man explained

 

He then snapped his fingers revealing his presence to Neku, causing him to fall to his knees.

 

"Nngh! This…this pressure it feels like…no…she's gone…Nngh! This feels like her though, but also different." Neku thought as he squeezed his hair while clenching his teeth.

 

"heh heh, so you've picked up on my energy huh? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Anthony…but my true name is Genyu Mitarashi…my little sister's named Kiyuki Mitarashi…also known as…Clarissa." Anthony said slyly as he walked closer to Neku.

 

"W-What?! She…Nngh! had a brother?!" Neku whimpered in pain.

 

As Anthony got closer Neku returned to his Fledgling form as a result from the pain increasing.

 

"yup…and you're little friend killed her. I was there the whole time Neku. I was in the throne room. But you never felt my presence since I'm very good at hiding it." Anthony said as he sat next to Neku looking at him.

 

"So…Nngh! It…it was you! You're the one who stabbed my back?" Neku said weakly

 

"Yup. I want to finish what my sister started…an eye for an eye Neku. Your little friend Shiki killed my sister. So it only seems fair for her to know what it's like to lose someone you care about for all eternity….don't you agree?" he said smiling

 

Understanding what he meant then made Neku gasp

 

"No! you…you're gonna try to kill me?" Neku asked while still squeezing his hair.

 

"of course I want Shiki to understand the pain she's put me through, by killing you. It'll be slow, and excruciatingly painful of course. Oh and if you're wondering how I know her name, it's because since Clarissa was apart of you I can tap into her memories of being with you, by looking into your memories." he said slyly

 

he then scooted to be infront of his prey

 

"Anyways I guess I'll go now Neku…

 

Anthony then pulled Neku's hands off of his head smiling at how fatigued Neku looked with his eyes halfway open

 

"But just remember…I'll be watching you." he said smiling at him.

 

He then walked towards a portal he opened simply by thought and waved good bye to Neku as if they were friends.

 

Neku then felt his eyelids become heavy and fainted

 

"this…guy…he felt…a lot…stronger…than…her" he whispered before fainting

 

As this happened, Mr. H was with Shiki in the Enlighten District.

 

"So…a Demon tried to kill Neku? You're really sure this time?" Shiki said weakly

 

"yeah so should worse come to worse…I'll teach you a way to save Neku should he completely fade into his energy. It's a scary thought I know…but if this training works…it'll make you be able to save him. There is a catch though, in order for that to work you'd have to save Neku right on the spot, not a minute later or Neku will fade away." Mr. H said sternly

 

"Mr. H what are you getting at?" Shiki asked

 

"I'm reconsidering your request from before Shiki, you know, about the training you wanted? I'm going to teach you how to make Neku's human form." he replied


	6. Becoming Strong

 

(5 Days left)

 

Mr. H then explained to Shiki why creating humans is something only taught to Angels that have lived for several centuries, but Mr. H was a rare exception due to how powerful his imagination became as an Angel, being one for only a few years in the RG's time and why it's an extremely advanced technique.

 

"You see, in order to make Neku's body you'd have to recreate everything from scratch, and I mean everything. From his cells, to his white and red blood cells, tissue, blood, veins, his skeleton, intestines, vital organs, muscles, skin, and on top of that you'd have to recreate his personality too." Mr. H said sternly

 

"If you messed up on even one of the things I mentioned, Phones wouldn't be the same if you sealed his mind and soul within his body. It'd be even worse if you didn't recreate his brain properly. See Neku's more of a right-brained person then a lefty, meaning that his soul feeds off of creativity and imagination, causing Phones to mainly use that side of his brain. But at the same time, he's very logical as well, showing how his mind also taps into the left hemisphere of is brain too." he explained causing Shiki to look at him in shock

 

"On top of that" he added "you have to lock other parts of his brain away from him. As you might've learned in school when you were alive, humans only use a certain amount of their brain, everything else your body does is automatically handled by your brain. The reason for that is because, if your soul fed off of all the parts of your mind…you'd be at Composer level…in the RG. Having all that imagination while your Soul is still within the flesh is overwhelming, and something a human CAN'T control as long as their energy is sealed away inside them, breaking the person's mind and soul to the point of going insane."

 

"this…this is crazy Mr. H…how does someone pull that off?" she said weakly while squeezing Mr. Mew

 

"Years of practice. I picked up on it a lot faster though because of my imagination boosting drastically in power when I became one. But I believe in ya Shiki. You guys have done the impossible just by becoming Angels and how you actually removed Demon energy from Phones. I know this is more delicate than learning an attack perse, but just think about it, if anything happened to Phones, there'd still be a way to save him." Mr. H said smiling as he placed his right hand on Shiki's shoulder.

 

"So…you wanna try it? Once you get really good at this you'll be able to recreate Phones's body instantly, like how Josh and I switch to our human forms." Mr. H exclaimed

 

Shiki then let's go of Mr. Mew allowing him to spring to life and stand on the floor. She then takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

 

"Okay Mr. H…I'm ready, just let me tell Eri what's going on first." she said strongly

 

"Good idea we wouldn't want her to worry" Mr. H exclaimed

 

After Shiki tells Eri what happened, Mr. H began instructing her on what to do in the Enlighten realm, Neku began to slowly regain consciousness in the HP Shibuya

 

His eyelids felt extremely heavy, it was pitch black and all he could hear was voices faintly calling his name. he then was finally able to open his eyes

 

"Neku are you okay?" Eri said concerned

 

"Nngh! Shiki? …how…how come we're in the UG again?" Neku said weakly from being disoriented

 

At that moment Eri then remembered that Shiki told her how she looked like her in the Reapers' Game.

 

"Heh heh, Neku…you're not in the UG anymore. You beat the Reapers' Game and so did Shiki, it's me her friend Eri remember?" she said sweetly

 

"Nngh…Eri?…yeah…I remember now" he said weakly

 

He then noticed Beat and Rhyme were there in his room too.

 

"huh? Where'd all you guys come from? And…where's Shiki?" Neku asked

 

"She told me telepathically that she's training with Mr. H and is learning a new skill, she didn't tell me what it was though she said it was going to be a surprise." Eri exclaimed

 

"Eri was hanging out with Shiki again in her apartment and then Shiki was teleported to Mr. H by a ball of light. So Eri then ran to your room when she could sort of sense you were in pain and then when she got run your place, she heard the thumping sound of you landing on the floor of your room. She then telepathically told Beat and I to go to your house, that you were hurt." Rhyme said sadly

 

"Who did this Phones? Who messed widchu yo?" Beat said weakly

 

"It was…another Demon…it was…Clarissa's older brother, he's the one who attacked me making pass out in the throne room." Neku said weakly as he used his arms to sit up on his bed."

 

"WHAT?! Shiki told me all the things Clarissa did to you! And now her brother's after you?! No! I'm not gonna stand for it none of us will! We won't let him hurt you Neku!" Eri said strongly

 

"She's right Neku, you still have some catching up to do so you can get stronger. We'll help you get through this." Rhyme exclaimed

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"Is this…what my afterlife is gonna be like? Is this the fate of a person with strong imagination? Constantly being hunted and never knowing what it's like to enjoy their eternity cause they won't stop going after me until I die?" he said hurt

 

"so what's the point? You guys being involved with this will just get yourselves killed. if Joshua wasn't there to help you guys when I was Damien…then…it'd be all over. All my friends would've been killed…by me…I would've killed you and now…I'm not even safe in my own house! Anthony, her brother, can hide his presence so he could be here right now watching me. This isn't a life…this is hell. I can't be happy, not even with you guys here…cause he could kill me at any second…there's nothing we can do." Neku said darkly

 

"What?! Neku of course there is! We can help you get stronger so he can't hurt you, and then you'll be strong enough to face him and-

 

"you don't get it Eri" Neku snarled "This Demon…Anthony, he's too strong…he…he's stronger than Clarissa."

 

Neku then felt infuriated as he squeezed his bed sheets

 

"SO HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSE TO FACE A DEMON THAT'S STRONGER THAN HER? THESE GUYS, THESE DEMONS OUTCLASS THE COMPOSER! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I BECAME AN ANGEL OR A COMPOSER IN THE DEMON LORD'S THRONE ROOM! I WAS JUST FOCUSING ON SHIKI, AND HOW I WANTED MORE ENERGY TO SAVE HER! IT WAS ALL LIKE AN ADRENALINE RUSH, IT JUST HAPPENED! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL I'M DOING!" he screamed squeezing his hair.

 

Rhyme then sat on Neku's bed and placed her hand on his pulling it away from his head.

 

"None of us know what we're doing Neku…we only got this far by training with Mr. H and being determined to get you back…that's what helped us control the Angel energy, it's powered by desire what you want to happen remember? So yeah this isn't how we expected to live our afterlives, but as long as we can be there for you…then I don't mind having to train some more." she said sweetly

 

"Me either yo. We jus' wanna hang out wid you again, like da way we would in the RG yo. So if this is how we gonna make that happen, then I'm down wid that." Beat said strongly

 

"Besides why you lettin' this Demon hurt you like dis? That ain't the Neku I know…

 

Hearing that sentence then caused Neku to raise his head looking at Beat in shock

 

"You always push yourself Phones, always bein' determaned to go further an' be yourself yo. You ain't ever let people change you, you an induvidal man. Bein' who you are instead of bein' like everyone else ain't easy, it means you gonna be alone a lot 'n stuff Phones 'an even when you did change, it's 'cause you wanted to. But it's like whatchu said to me, don't go the distance for others, do it for yourself yo." Beat said smiling

 

"Heh heh, yeah…thanks man. It's just tough dealing with all of this y'know?" Neku said smiling back

 

"Yeah, but you got the Freakin' Rhino here man. Me, Rhyme, dressy girl, Shiki wid her special training, and even prissy boy, are gonna be there for you man, count on it." he added strongly

 

"Yeah…thanks Beat." Neku said happily

 

"well then come on Neku!" Eri said happily

 

"Huh?" he said confused

 

"Let's go and start your training…that is…if you feel okay." she added

 

"yeah I do" he said as he got off his bed

 

Neku asked Eri if she was ready to go to the Enlighten realm, she responded she was and awkwardly held her hand, blushing

 

"heh heh what's wrong Neku?" Eri exclaimed

 

"N-nothing" Neku said nervously "it's just…I haven't known you as long as I've known Shiki…and…she…she only holds my hand when I'm stressed out being like a stress ball and-

 

"heh heh well then pretend I'm Shiki" Eri said smiling

 

"Oh…um sure…Shiki" Neku said awkwardly

 

They then held hands firmly as they became Enlightens and opened a portal to the Enlighten Realm with Beat and Rhyme's Enlighten forms also following.

 

When they arrived at the Enlighten realm they were shocked to not see Shiki or Mr. H.

 

"Huh? I thought Shiki was doing her special training here." Neku said confused

 

"well think about how vast everything is in the Higher Plane Neku, I'm sure she's just in some other part of it." Rhyme exclaimed

 

"Yeah that makes sense" Neku added

 

They all then sat down as Rhyme explained how to become an Angel to Neku. As this happened, on another side of the Enlighten district Shiki was practicing how to make a human. Many Enlightens were discouraged at how so many things were happening at once.

 

"Do you think the Demons plan to attack us again?" a concerned male Enlighten exclaimed

 

"No, if they were Sanae would've warned us." another male Enlighten replied

 

"Yeah I guess you're right" the troubled Enlighten replied

 

Shiki then let's out a deep breath as she continued her training

 

"Okay I have Neku's skeleton done, everything's in place." she thought

 

"Now his organs and muscles" Shiki thought again

 

Fearful of how disgusting this would look, she closed her eyes during this half of the training. She then focused on the vital organs making sure they were all in their proper positions.

 

"Don't forget about his blood and veins" Mr. H reminded her

 

"yeah" Shiki said weakly

 

She then imagined his blood flowing through him like a river with it all leading to his heart.

 

"Okay now the eyes" she thought again

 

She imagined his blue gray eyes being placed in their proper position. Shiki then imagined everything else, his skin, hair, and clothes. Finally it was time for his personality.

 

"Okay, Neku...He uses mainly his right side of his brain but also the left side for his sense of logic, and Neku is very gentlemanly and kind. He has a strong sense of who he is and can be kind of stubborn sometimes not wanting to take advice from people due to him being afraid of it changing who he is. He got better at taking advice thanks to Mr. H and is very happy and talkative around his friends." she thought.

 

She then opened her eyes to see a dead version of her friend laying in front of her, causing her to gasp.

 

"I…I did it! It's really Neku!" she said happily

 

"heh heh good job now just activate his heart and you'll be all set." Mr. H said smiling.

 

Although he knew Shiki had messed up on one little part of developing Neku, he wanted her to see the mistake first hand to teach her not to do it again.

 

Shiki then placed her hand on Neku's chest and sent a jolt of energy to his body to start up his heart. When she did this she then felt his heart beat causing her to smile.

 

"Neku" she said happily

 

When he opened his eyes and regained consciousness and got to his feet that's when she realized her mistake. Neku didn't look well he looked mentally insane like he wanted to kill her. His mind went out of control from her forgetting to block off parts of the brain.

 

He then began to walk towards her with an evil smile it was almost ear to ear.

 

"Hi Shikiii" Neku said in a deep sinister voice

 

"Do you want to know what it's like to be cut to ribbons?" he said as he began to laugh

 

 

he then snaps his fingers and summons a knife in his left hand

 

 

Shiki, frightened by this began to back away from him

 

"No! Neku…what did I do wrong?!" she cried

 

As the insane version of Neku walked closer to her, Mr. H snapped his fingers causing him to fall backwards dead again.

 

"You didn't block parts of his brain Shiki. That's what made Phones like that." Mr. H said sternly

 

Shiki then hanged her head and felt a tear go down her face

 

"he was just like Damien…the way he looked at me…it wasn't Neku!" she cried

 

"it's okay Shiki you made a mistake but that's what this training is for, to keep trying till you've got it exactly right. Do you wanna take a break and try again later?" Mr. H asked noticing how shocked she looked

 

She then took a deep breath and lets it out slowly

 

"No…I wanna see this through, just incase Neku needs me to do this." Shiki said strongly

 

"heh heh that's the spirit." Mr. H said happily

 

Shiki then tried again recreating Neku from scratch determined to not mess up on his brain again.

 

As she practiced, Neku was also trying to become an Angel.

 

"Nnngh! It…it's burning me!" Neku screamed

 

He felt his energy burn more and more until his body was white outlined in blue again. It then began to surge like lightning going out of control

 

"AAAAAAAAAGH! MAKE IT STOOOOOOOP!" he screamed in pain

 

"Neku!" Rhyme cried

 

She, Beat, and Eri all ran up so their friend and tried to calm him down.

 

"Neku, Angel energy is powered by desire like all those times when you saved Shiki with your Angel energy! You gotta focus on that too not just absorbing the energy!" she said urgently

 

"I…I can't! I'm breaking apart!" Neku screamed as he clenched his teeth in pain.

 

Rhyme then went into her Angel form and placed her hand on Neku's head allowing the energy to flow back inside him.

 

"thanks" Neku whispered as he panted out of breath

 

"don't mention it Neku. You should take a break…you're too fatigued to try again, if you did you'd kill yourself. But don't worry we're gonna help you do this." Rhyme said smiling

 

"heh heh, yeah…thanks guys." he said weakly

 

Beat then helped Neku get to his feet and Rhyme and Eri went to their Enlighten forms to open a portal to bring Neku back to his house to rest.

 

They eventually arrived there with Beat placing Neku on his bed

 

"Get some rest yo. It'll be fine Phones, jus' remember what Rhyme said, to think 'bout whatchu want the Angel energy to do yo. You got this Phones I know you do, it's jus' dat bein' a guy wid strong imagination makes you have stronger energy than us y'know? So dat's why this is harder for you, you gotta take in even more energy than us…but it don't matter man, we gonna help you do this." Beat said strongly

 

"yeah…thanks man" Neku said weakly

 

"heh heh no problem yo. I'mma always watch your back." Beat said smiling

 

The three friends then left Neku so he could sleep

 

"Dammit" Neku thought "I'm here resting while Shiki's somewhere training…it's not fair…why does my energy have to leak out so fast when I try to become an Angel? Rrgh! I have to do this…for her….I want all of my friends to know I can defend myself just like them, I need to catch up to them so I can be an Angel too. Don't worry Shiki…I'll do this…so I can be strong like all of you."

 

He then closed his eyes and went to sleep

 

As Shiki continued her training Mr. H told her that he had to take care of something and that he would be right back.

 

He then teleported himself to the Higher Ups and told them of his discovery.

 

"Aiden my lord, I have new information regarding the unknown Demon that attacked the Composer's Proxy." Mr. H announced

 

"Excellent progress as always Sanae, what is it that you've learned?" he asked

 

"I picked up on the Proxy's thoughts a while ago, you know, the time when he showed his friends his control over his demon energy. I sensed the presence of a Demon in his house and I heard their conversation. The Demon that attacked Neku in the throne room, is Clarissa's older brother, Genyu Mitarashi, who also goes by Anthony." Mr. H reported

 

"Genyu has returned? He's been in hiding for so long that I presumed that he possibly faded away. This is very troublesome. As you are aware Sanae the Mitarashi siblings have caused much trouble in the past…and on top of that Genyu is extremely powerful. Do believe that he may target us?" Aiden asked

 

"No sir, his objective is to kill Neku to make Shiki suffer the sadness of losing someone you care about for all eternity." Mr. H said darkly

 

"He's still as gruesome as ever I see" Amonae added

 

"yes you've done well Sanae. Teaching Shiki how to make his human form is a good precaution should Genyu have his way. And what of Joshua are his concerns dealt with since saving his Proxy?" Aiden asked curiously

 

"thank you sir and, it seems in a way he is sir. He went to the HP Shibuya to learn that all of Neku's friends accept him, and see him as a friend too. He's very puzzled by this and is watching over their training in the Enlighten district. He's also killing humans again, but at a much slower pace…like he's more interested in Neku's friends and their reaction to him." Mr. H replied

 

"A couple of Human Souls affecting the judgment of a Death God, I never thought such a day would come." Ryu added

 

"Yes it is rather alarming, however I believe this may help with Yoshiya's hostility and help him become a more reserved Composer." Amaya exclaimed

 

"yes it seems this may be for the best, regardless of how this goes against the tradition of Death Gods, Joshua is a unique Composer, so I believe for his case this is a good thing. Therefore Joshua will be allowed to go to the HP Shibuya as long as he kills humans like how he did before.

 

Also, we've come to a decision Sanae, although I am more fond of the normal version of the Angels' Game, Neku Sakuraba shall partake in the Proxy version of it. It'll be interesting to see his reaction to it." Aiden said smiling

 

"Understood sir." Mr. H replied hiding his concern for Neku

 

Mr. H was then dismissed to continue Shiki's training with a reminder that Neku's trial would start in five days.

 

To be continued...


	7. Becoming Strong (Part 2)

 

(4 Days left)

 

Mr. H then returned to see Shiki finally recreate Neku again with his body completed except for one of his limbs being out of socket. Shiki notices this and places her hand on Neku's loose right shoulder and used her Angel energy to pop it back in place.

 

"Hey good job catching that Shiki." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Oh hey there Mr. H, does Neku look okay? Also um, where'd you go?" Shiki asked

 

"He looks perfect Shiki, and as for where I was, well I was just reporting some information that's all. Nothin' for you to worry about." he said patting her head

 

"Did you remember what to do about Phone's brain?" Mr. H asked hopeful

 

"yeah I have it all balanced out." she said smiling

 

Shiki placed her hand on Neku's chest again.

 

"Come on Neku…I need you to be okay…to be yourself. It's like you said to me, Beat and Rhyme, you said that you're who you are now because you clashed, you met people that weren't into the same stuff as you. But you looked past it and found other connections. You clashed Neku, you changed, and I'm glad that I was apart of it, cause you changed me too. Please be yourself this time." she thought strongly

 

She then sent another bit of energy to jumpstart his heart.

 

When Neku woke up he finally was himself except that one of his bones popped out of place again.

 

"Nngh! My shoulder!" Neku cried

 

"Right or left?!" Shiki said urgently

 

"Right." he answered

 

She then placed her hand on Neku's right shoulder and used her Angel energy to put it back in place again.

 

"You okay?" she asked

 

"yeah…thanks Shiki." he sweetly

 

"Shiki? You…Neku!" Shiki said happily

 

She then ran up to her friend and tried to hug him only to phase through him.

 

Seeing this then made her upset.

 

"Did I do something wrong?" Shiki said sadly

 

"No you finally did it, Shiki…but without Neku's Soul inside him, he's incomplete. Infact the only reason he's alive right now is from you putting energy inside him. But it's not his energy you see?" Mr. H explained

 

"So without his energy inside him…" Shiki said getting cut off

 

"I'm not complete I need my Soul in order to be able to feel again…to feel spirits right?" the human Neku added

 

"Exactly" Mr. H exclaimed

 

"It's sort of like when you were reunited with your mom in the RG. She tried to feel you but she couldn't cause her Soul was still trapped in her body, making her Soul Code different from yours. Her code was that she was alive and you were dead. Two different forms of existence so it's because of that, she couldn't feel you, but you could feel her. The living and dead are at two completely different planes of existence" he added

 

"so that's basically it? I…I'm alive now and can't be with my friends since they're dead?" Neku's human form said sadly

 

"Well no. You're a dead body again, like in the UG, but without your Soul you're just an empty shell. This is only a last resort Phones, should your Soul get hurt, Shiki here can now seal your Soul inside your body to protect you from fading away, should worse come to worse and she has to use this technique" Mr. H said reassuringly

 

Neku's body then smiled

 

"cool…so I'll be safe if a Demon tries to kill me?" he asked

 

"that's exactly it Phones." Mr. H exclaimed

 

"Now since there can't be two Neku's running around the Higher Plane, you'll have to go now, but if we're lucky Shiki won't even have to use this technique, meaning that your Soul is safe." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Oh…okay then I guess I'll still technically see you later." Neku said smiling.

 

"yeah I'll see you soon kiddo" Mr. H said happily

 

He then snapped his fingers removing the memory of their conversation and caused his human form to dissolve into thin air.

 

"Now…I'll show ya how to do this instantly Shiki with a refinery sigil." Mr. H said with his hands in his pockets

 

"really? That's great! But before you do that I've got a question Mr. H. What you just said…since that's true then how come you're usually in your human form and yet he can still feel you?" she said curiously

 

"well that's because although Joshua and I are human just like you, on the inside we're still beings made of energy but at a higher state of being so we can still feel Spirits." Mr. H explained

 

"it does come at a cost though" he continued "It means that whenever Joshua and I look like this, it means we're powered down, that our Vibe is lowered."

 

"Your Vibe?" Shiki said confused with one hand by her head and the other behind her back

 

"yeah it's another way of saying that you have to lower the overall amount of power you use. " Mr. H explained

 

"It's sort of like when someone turns the dial on a radio to change it from one radio station to another.  The weaker the signal, the more I have to power down to enter another plane of existence. This also goes for powerful beings like Angels or Gods of Death being around spirits. It's like when you raise or lower the volume of sound coming through a radio. The louder the sound is, the more people it effects, which is the result of hurting that persons' ears. In other words, if my vibe was raised to its maximum power and I wasn't an Angel, it would hurt you to be around me. That's why Phones had such a hard time being around Joshua." he said with his right hand on his chin

 

"Even with his vibe lowered, he's so powerful as a Death God, that he affected Neku's mind, making him shut down even more than the way he was when you met him. It made Phones really uptight to the extent it looked like he was almost scared of Joshua at points too, and become extremely angry and distant from his partner, just being around that presence made him feel very insecure, Neku even gave up in the second week too. It was Joshua that kept pushing him forward." he added

 

hearing that then made Shiki's heart sink

 

"what? But...Neku told me how when he was in the second week, that his promise to meet me at Hachiko is what kept him going." she said sadly

 

"and even then, there were times when Neku gave up, thinking about how he was sorry" Mr. H said hanging his head a little

 

"Neku" Shiki thought looking down as she squeezed Mr. Mew "he was pushed so hard in the Reapers' Game, especially thanks to Joshua"

 

going back on topic Shiki then asked about Neku and his vibe frequency

 

"So is that a reason why demons like to hunt Neku? Cause of him having a really powerful Vibe?" she asked concerned

 

"Unfortunately yes, but now I'll show ya how to instantly make Phones's human form." Mr. H said smiling

 

As he instructed her on how to make a human instantly through making a refinery sigil, Neku was still resting in his bed in a deep sleep. Unaware that Anthony had just arrived in his room.

 

"I could kill him right now…go straight to his soul code, plus he's made it all too easy. He's sleeping on his right side with his back facing me…but without that Shki girl here to witness his death, the impact won't be as strong. However, just hearing one of her friends say to her face…

 

Neku's gone…he faded away, will be worth it. Just hearing such a bone chilling message will shake her to her core and severely harm Shiki." he thought

 

Anthony then smiled with his mind made up.

 

He walked closely to Neku and placed his fingers together closing the gap between them and dug his claws into Neku's back.

 

Since he was in a deep sleep he didn't feel anything at first. The pain grew more and more as Anthony reached deeper into Neku's back trying to go to his Soul Code again.

 

"Just a little deeper and his energy will start to leak out the size of bowling balls" Anthony thought smiling sinisterly

 

As he dug deeper Neku felt his back burning

 

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Neku screamed

 

He then instantly turned around to see who attacked him, only to see that his room was empty.

 

"Neku! What happened?!" Eri cried running to his room again.

 

"Nngh! How'd you get here so fast…I…I thought you were at your house." Neku said weakly

 

"No…ever since Anthony attacked you I've been at Shiki's house making more designs again. Was it him?" she said concerned

 

"Y-yeah…Nngh! He…he tried to kill me in my sleep." he said sadly

 

"here let me help." Eri said sweetly

 

She then got on her knees by Neku's bed and placed her hands on his head.

 

"I want Neku to be healed, I don't want his back to sting anymore…and…if Neku's back burned to the point he had a hole in his shirt again, I want that to be healed too." Eri thought

 

She then opened her eyes smiling at him as Neku looke at her in shock

 

 

"Your imagination's already that strong?…heh heh sweet, I'm glad your catching up." Neku said smiling

 

"Yeah me too." Eri said smiling back

 

She asked if Neku was okay and he replied saying that he was thanks to her using her mind to heal him. They then went over to Beat and Rhyme's house to let them know that Neku wants to try the Angel training again. They all smiled to see him okay and they all went to the Enlighten Realm once again.

 

As Joshua watched Neku and Shiki train he couldn't help but feel curious about them.

 

"Sure Shiki's not at Neku's level of imagination, but her…no…not just her…all of them, have increased their imagination and energy immensely since they all came here. Even Eri, who's still adapting to the Higher Plane, has made progress. But, creating the human body in a split second takes much more precession then taking one's time creating the body. Should Shiki have to use this technique to save Neku, she would have to create his body right on the spot. If she made one simple mistake, her chance would be lost and Neku would fade away." he thought concerned

 

He watched them more intensely as he saw Mr. H instructing Shiki

 

"Okay so you remember how I told ya how to activate your Angel form instantly?" Mr. H asked

 

"yeah it was to just think about what we want to happen but faster make it at a split second." Shiki said smiling

 

"Hah hah, you got it Shiki. So just do that but now with Phones…just remember that this is a very delicate technique and that it's harder to recreate everything at once." Mr. H said sternly

 

"yeah…I know…I can't mess up. I have to be there for him…just like how he's been there for me." Shiki said strongly

 

She then closed her eyes and snapped her fingers

 

"I want Neku to appear as a human." she thought

 

She then opened her eyes and streched out her hands towards her refinery sigil on the ground, to see Neku spawn out of it, but when she saw her friend, she saw his left wrist was broken.

 

"No…it didn't work?…doesn't matter I'll try again." she said strongly

 

"there you go Shiki, but don't force it. Just let this happen remember? That's what got you guys in trouble when you all were trying to become Angels." Mr. H said smiling giving her a hint

 

Shiki, smiling back by understanding his hint tried the technique again.

 

As she did this Neku was also continuing his training.

 

"No! not again…It…it hurts!" Neku thought

 

"I…I can't just stop here, I have to keep going. Shiki, Beat and Rhyme all went through this to become Angels…so…I can do it too." he thought trying to endure the pain

 

Having such a powerful amount of energy inside him, Neku's energy leaked out of him a lot faster than with his other friends.

 

They all watched concerned seeing his body surrounded by his energy.

 

"Nnngh! Can't….I…I can't stop here!" they heard him whimper.

 

"Focus on what I want to happen…focus on my desire." he thought

 

"Rrrrgh! I'm burning!" he said as he clenched his teeth

 

They then saw his body become his energy causing Beat and Rhyme to generate Angel energy.

 

His energy then began to dance like fire around him… it was becoming too much for him to handle.

 

"No! I can't stop yet…I…I have to. Nnnnngh!" he screamed

 

His energy then surged like electricity with orbs of his energy going to the sky. The pain was so intense that Neku was crying from it.

 

"No!…Shiki…I…I don't want to leave her! Not like this…" he thought

 

He then had an idea to try to save himself

 

" **Enjoy the moment more…Gather…enjoy every moment with all your might. whether it's gloomy, whether it's bright…if you want to enjoy life, then expand your world, push out your horizons as far as they'll go. The world ends with you, the world ends at my horizons**." Neku thought

 

Eventually Neku's agonizing screams lessened until it was silent, and his energy began to stabilize.

 

"I…I've got friends now…and…I want to spend my eternity with them…I don't want to fade away." he thought firmly

 

Thinking of all the imprints Mr. H put on him, how he pushed Neku to go farther with his art, always wanting him to enjoy life, empowered Neku's mind, until he felt himself floating and the glass of his Enlighten wings break apart until his wings that were made of energy remained. They too then disappeared and for a few seconds he became the next form of power, the Composer, starting everyone.

 

"CAT wouldn't be happy if he saw me suffering like this…I wanna be an Angel too. I want…to be stronger."

 

With that last powerful thought the energy wings appeared again and folded towards his chest and extended outward revealing wings made of feathers.

 

When he opened his eyes he saw that his friends will smiling at him.

 

"Neku…he used his admiration for CAT and the memories of his friends to amplify his imagination, causing the energy to react to his desire…he really is something else." Joshua thought as he watched Neku hover with his Angel wings.

 

"Neku you really did it!" Rhyme exclaimed

 

She then snapped her fingers and became an Angel along with Beat helping Eri to become her pinkish purple colored Enlightened form. Once the transformation was done Beat transformed into an Angel too.

 

All three of the friends all flew up to Neku smiling at him happy that he's okay, and that he's catching up. Beat exclaimed that now he'd teach Neku how to fight like an Angel and pointed out that Eri could join in too, since Angels and Enlightens fight in a similar fashion.

 

As Joshua smiled content with Neku's progress he then had an idea.

 

"In order for Neku to fulfill his role as part of this deal, I should help him go a bit further…Hee hee. Once he's mastered his Angel form…I could teach him the alternate way to become a Death God." he thought slyly

 

As Neku's training continued Shiki's did as well with her still struggling to master recreating Neku's body.

 

"Okay…everything at once! I can't fail like this if Neku needs me, if it comes to me having to use this! He…he was there for me when I showed him how…I hated myself…how…I was envious…how it was to the point that…that's all I had. My envy made me give up on everything…even on our last mission before facing the Game Master…I won't mess up! I won't hold Neku back like did in the UG! I will be there for him…I'm gonna get this right!" Shiki thought strongly

 

As she felt empowered determined to perfect this technique, Shiki then snapped her fingers finally recreating Neku perfectly while activating his heart again as he emerged from her refinery sigil.

 

She then opened her eyes eager to ask Mr. H how she did.

 

"Mr. H! did I do it? Did I get it right?" she said excitedly

 

Mr. H then walked closer to Neku and placed his hand on the human form's head and closed his eyes. By doing this he focused his energy on the electrical currents that flowed in his brain, sensing how the Right brain was more active than his left, and a perfect balance of white and red blood cells flowing allowing the necessary amount of oxygen to flow to his brain.

 

"heh heh she really did it." Mr. H thought "this usually takes years to master and yet just thinking about Phones empowered her enough to master it this fast! Heh, the impact that kid's energy has on others…is truly amazing."

 

"yeah you did it kiddo!" Mr. H said happily

 

"Heh heh now Neku's safe! No matter what happens to him!" Shiki said just as happy.

 

"Heh heh but right now Phones is also training. He finally learned how to become an Angel." he said with his hands in his pockets in his usual laid back tone.

 

"You can go see him now if ya want." he added

 

Shiki was so happy that she then ran up to Mr. H and hugged him

 

"thanks Mr. H" she said sweetly

 

He then smiled and patted her head

 

"you're welcome sport, now go on git! Go to Phones while he's still here." he said happily

 

"Yeah, I'll see you later" she said smiling.

 

Shiki then became her Angel form and flew where she could sense Neku's energy the strongest.

 

As all of this commotion continued in the Higher Plane Anthony was in the Demon Lord's throne room watching over Neku through a portal

 

"Well it looks like little Neku here has made some progress eh Izawa?" Anthony said pleased

 

"Yes it certainly does, but without your sister's energy inside him his Demon form isn't on par with you sir. He was once one of the highest ranking demons but not now. He may have full control over his powers and still have his monstrous strength as Damien, but he's still a weakling. After all, the only Demon energy that remains now…is Cedric. Regardless of how strong he was as a Mongrel he's still no match for you." Izawa said smiling

 

"Exactly so it's because of this, let's let the boy have some fun. He'll hang out with his friends go on trial, then once the trail is over, I can use that as a distraction to kill him." Anthony said smiling

 

"Brilliant plan sir, but what if something happens while Neku is on trial? Depending on how forgiving the Higher Ups are feeling you know what could happen to him." the Watchman said sinisterly

 

"yes I am aware, but this is more or less about Shiki in a way so regardless of what happens…she'll still suffer…but in a way I still adore the idea of stabbing Neku with my claws." Anthony said with a crooked smile.


	8. A Death God's Perspective

(3 Days left)

 

As Shiki flew more sensing Neku's energy she saw what looked like energy outlined in green clashing with energy outlined in darkblue. After that they then switched to blasting Angel energy at each other, play fighting more than actual sparing

 

"huh? That's Neku and Beat…is this fight part of his training too?" she thought curiously as she flew closer.

 

"C'mon Phones show me what that imagination of yours can do yo! Cause I ain't holdin' back!" Beat said excitedly

 

"heh heh bring it!' Neku shouted

 

He flew at Beat so quickly that it was as if he teleported away.

 

"BWAAAAAH! Where'd Phones go?!" Beat exclaimed

 

"Right here!" Neku shouted

 

Beat then felt an intense amount of force as Neku punched him in the face causing his friend to recoil backwards.

 

"heh that all you got?" Beat said eagerly

 

"Hardly" Neku replied

 

Beat and Neku then shot blasts of Angel energy at each other, Neku then teleported away from Beat and held his hands in the air while charging his energy before swinging his arms down at Beat to launch the energy at him.

 

Neku then let's out a ferocious roar as the energy surged

 

As Beat blocked the energy with his energy he then stared at Neku in shock as his energy broke apart sending Beat flying.

 

"Whoa man, if you strong enough to break my energy like that yo…an' me Shiki an' Rhyme are as strong at the H-man…then…you're stronger than the Coffee man yo!" Beat exclaimed

 

"What?! Seriously…are you sure?!" Neku exclaimed

 

"yeah we're sure Neku. That pretty much proved it!" Rhyme said happily

 

"Nekuuuuuuuu!" he heard someone shout

 

He then turns around and smiled

 

"Shiki! You're training's done?" he said shocked

 

"yeah what about you?" she asked

 

"well I'm just getting started" he said smiling at her

 

"Heh heh mind if I join?" Shiki said smiling

 

"Not at all." he replied

 

Neku then asked if Eri wanted to join since Angels and Enlightens fight similarly. She then said yes causing Neku to teach her the attacks he and Shiki learned as Enlightens then unleashed those attacks with a more powerful amount of energy as an Angel. They all trained for what felt like hours each one eventually powering down to their Fledgling form and sat down to get some rest.

 

"Man…that was intense" Neku said panting out of breath

 

"yeah…I still can't believe your stronger than Mr. H now." Shiki said in disbelief

 

"well now that I'm done with my training I an finally show you what I learned." she said smiling

 

Shiki then rose to her feet, closed her eyes and snapped her fingers, causing a refinery sigil to appear, recreating her human form.

 

"BWAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL YO?!" Beat exclaimed

 

"Wait…how did you do that?" Rhyme said surprised

 

"Shiki…you're so strong now! I'm so happy for you!" Eri said ecstatic

 

"yeah this is insane Shiki! What was this training for anyway?" Neku asked smiling

 

Shiki then snapped her fingers making her human form and the supernatural graffiti, disappear, and then felt a gut-wrenching pain in her stomach. She didn't want Neku to know why she learned how to make a human…because she didn't want to concern him.

 

"it's just a little trick I wanted to learn" Shiki said smiling hoping Neku wouldn't ask more questions

 

"C'mon Shiki there has to be more to it than that. What you just did is amazing…you really did that just because you wanted to?" Neku said curiously

 

"Y-yeah I wanted to get stronger and learn something new and…

 

Shiki then stopped talking to notice Neku crossing his arms at her, hiding his mouth in his funnel collar.

 

"Shiki…if you don't want to tell me it's okay…but you don't need to try to cover it up like that…just tell me that you don't wanna talk about it and I'll drop it." he said sternly

 

Shiki then hanged her head

 

"Neku…I'm sorry I just…

 

She then turned away from him making Neku concerned

 

"Shiki…it's okay you don't need to tell me." he said sweetly

 

"I know…it's just…I don't like hiding things from you but… I…I didn't want to tell you Neku I wanted you to be happy." she said sadly

 

Neku then got to his feet and walked up to Shiki.

 

"Shiki what are you talking about?" he said weakly

 

She then turned towards him

 

"I learned how to make a human incase…incase Anthony killed you." she said darkly

 

Hearing her say such a thing sent chills down his spine as he looked her in shock

 

"So…if you faded away…there'd be one last chance to save you…with this technique, I could seal your Mind and Soul inside your body, saving you from facing…Soul Obstruction." Shiki said sadly

 

Neku then hid his face with his hands in his pockets

 

"You really think…it'll go to that point?" Neku said weakly

 

"I-I don't know Neku…I just did this as a last resort." Shiki said with her voice breaking

 

He then pulled Shiki towards her hugging her.

 

"Thank you. You…and everyone else…all of you guys…are always looking out for me. I can only imagine how that must've been like, recreating a person…it must've been really creepy but…you stuck to it and pushed yourself to become even stronger. Just like how Beat, Eri and Rhyme trained with me." he said sweetly

 

"Phones is right yo. You ain't gotta hide anything Shiki. But if ya don' wanna say somthin' that's aight too yo. So quit you're cryin' it's aight." Beat said walking up to her

 

Rhyme and Eri then followed him

 

"You were just trying anything to keep Neku safe Shiki. That's a good thing! I understand you not wanting to tell him, so he can be happy but we want you to be happy to so don't bottle this up." Rhyme said smiling

 

"yeah Shiki, Rhyme's right! Don't be sad okay? This is a good thing we're all getting stronger." Eri said happily

 

Shiki then gently pulled away of Neku smiling at him, causing him to do the same.

 

"thanks guys." Shiki said weakly

 

"Don't mention it Shiki. Heh heh, enjoy the moment right?" Neku said sweetly

 

"right…" Shiki said smiling

 

The friends then all returned to the HP Shibuya where they all rested after their intense training.

 

"Would Anthony…really go that far? Could he actually pull that off? I mean I thought his sister was strong but…then that means…yeah…he could. Even as an Angel that's stronger than Mr. H…I…I can't beat him. I'm still getting used to my Angel form. He could be anywhere planning to attack me." Neku thought as he laid on his bed

 

He then walked to the kitchen of his house and had his favorite snack, chicken nuggets

 

He focused on breaking the nuggets into little pieces with his hands, anything to distract him from his fear of how blood thirsty Demons are.

 

He then began to place the pieces in his mouth slowly chewing each piece.

 

 _"I want Shiki to understand the pain she's put me through, by killing you. It'll be slow and excruciatingly painful or course."_ Neku remembered Anthony saying

 

"Dammit, don't think about that! Nothing's gonna happen to me. l…I'll be okay…right?" he thought concerned

 

As Joshua monitored Neku and picked up on his concerns he then passed along some interesting news to Mr. H

 

"Hee hee, Mr. H it seems you're not the most powerful Angel of the Higher Plane anymore. I felt Neku's Vibe Frequency just now and it's extremely powerful. With some training he could easily enter the Composer District." Joshua said while pulling his hair back.

 

"really? Well I'll be, Phones has surpassed me huh? Heh heh, alright I guess I'll come too, to hang out a little. I've told the Higher Ups all that I know so I guess I'm free for a bit." Mr. H said smiling

 

Joshua then let's out his usual sinister laugh

 

"alright then let's go get him." Joshua said smiling

 

He then sent a white orb over to Neku's house and teleported him over to the Enlighten district and then he and Mr. H teleported themselves to the same district to talk to Neku.

 

"Wha? What the hell's going on? Who brought me here? Was it you Joshua?" Neku said confused

 

"Hee hee, yup. I'm just here to congratulate you Neku, see now that you're stronger than Mr. H, I'm going to teach you how to alter your Vibe Frequency. In other words, I'm going to show you how to adjust the amount of power you use so you can cross to the Composer district. This is also a technique that can be used to travel to different dimensions. I even did that when I teleported away from you Neku, making it look like I was killed by Sho's level I flare." he said slyly

 

Hearing Joshua mention that then made Neku gasp

 

"Wait…time out? Other Dimensions? I…I can go to the Composer district now? And what about my other friends, can they come too?" Neku said startled

 

"Of course all you'd have to do is pass along what I show you." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets.

 

Neku picked up on adjusting his vibe very quickly since he's so sensitive to energy. They then cross over to the Composer district where Mr. H got something off of his chest

 

"Phones, before you go exploring this district, ya mind if I tell ya something?" he asked

 

"Of course not, you can talk to me anytime. What's up Mr. Hanekoma?" Neku said smiling

 

"well I wanna say that…I'm sorry Phones. I broke the promise I made to you." Mr. H said looking seriously

 

"Huh? What promise?" Neku said confused

 

"I said to you back when you first came here, that I was gonna protect you and not let anything happen to you. We all know how that turned out." He said still feeling guilty

 

Mr. H then sighed and managed to smile

 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, is that I'll make it up to you. I'll make sure you get through this." Mr. H said smiling

 

"thanks CAT. But don't feel guilty about that, you did all you could." Neku said smiling back

 

"yeah I guess so." Mr. H said laid back.

 

Mr. H and Joshua then gave Neku a tour of the Composer District. He was amazed by how vast everything is in the Higher Plane. The floor they walked on was made of a blueish gray marble texture.

 

He saw the sky was covered in clouds as if he was at a really high altitude but then, he noticed something else that made him hide his face in his collar and hands in his pockets causing Joshua to look at him curiously

 

"This place...it has gray colored pillars everywhere and that skull I keep seeing is in the sky. The Player pin, Red Skull pin, and that vision of Shinjuku all have that skull shaped mark" Neku said feeling a little nervous 

 

Joshua then chuckled 

 

"Ah yes, this must remind you of the Room of Reckoning I see. I know why that must make you feel uncomfortable, but don't remember that you're not really there" he said reassuringly 

 

 

Neku then looked up and chuckled, smiling with his left hand on his hip 

 

 

They then continued their walk and as they did, Neku also saw what looked like islands with silver colored skyscrapers floating in the sky, as if a city was cut out of the ground.

 

"What are these islands for?" Neku asked curiously

 

"They're known as the Sparring Grounds. Angels often times go there to train with other Angels, sometimes us Composers will go there too to spar with our Guardian Angels." Joshua answered.

 

Mr. H then showed Neku a massive amount of energy not too far from the city islands. It resembled a galaxy.

 

"This is known as the Pool of Arrival. Here in the Higher Plane, everyone is either a being that was alive, like with Human Souls, and some of the Angels and Composers here, or a form of energy like the Higher Ups and a majority of everyone else here" he explained

 

 

"This is how energy is born so to speak. Little orbs come out of the pool of energy and then those orbs become Angels, Composers, or Enlightens. These versions are known as Natural Borns since they didn't have to go through training to become an Enlighten, Composer or Angel." Mr. H explained

 

"Whoa…so then…you were a Natural Born Angel? And Joshua start out as a Natural Born Composer?" Neku asked curiously

 

"Hee hee, now where's the fun if I told you everything?" Joshua added

 

"Let's just say I became the Composer a different way and Mr. H became an Angel another way too." Joshua said with his hands in his pockets

 

"a different way? what other way is he hiding? can't he just be straightforward for once?" Neku thought

 

"Heh I'll give you two some space for the training, I'll see ya in a bit okay Phones?" Mr. H said smiling

 

"alright I'll see you later then." Neku said smiling.

 

Mr. H then went to the Higher Ups to report Neku's growth and urged them to call off the trial. They refused and said that Neku needs to be judged for being part of Joshua's plan to destroy Shibuya. He was then told on top of that, that Neku is a criminal for committing murder on top of revealing the afterlife to his mother and must be punished.

 

They also reminded him that they could easily put him on trial for showing Sho Minamimoto how to make Taboo Noise and how he also edited Sho's refinery signal so he could become half taboo Noise, another penalty against him. They said that they've kept him around because they are considering the option to lift his label as a criminal and to not get on their bad side. As this happened, Joshua then told Neku another way of becoming the Composer 

 

"You see Neku, there are two ways someone can achieve Composer status. Either a person goes through the mental evolution of becoming a Reaper, making their minds stronger than a human, and claw their way to the top rannking and kill the current Composer, absorbing their energy, or how you can do that here, in the Higher Plane" Joshua said pulling back his hair.

 

He explained that in the Higher Plane, if you absorb enough energy from the afterlife, you could also become the Composer that way

 

"Now since you have a bit of my energy inside you from when we saved Shiki this will make it even easier." Joshua said smiling

 

"Now in order to become a Composer you simply have to increase your imagination and energy even more. Remember how you became an Angel? It's technically they exact same thing. Except for one thing, now you're absorbing the essence of abstract matter, you're absorbing the energy of the atmosphere, energy itself Neku." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

He then looked Joshua in shock

 

"So…this…this is like…absorbing energy of the Universe? Sort of like that Fusion attack we use to do where…it felt like I was weightless, like I was in outer space?" Neku said astonished

 

"Mhm, that's exactly it Neku. when you felt that, that was just a little bit of my energy." Joshua replied

 

Neku looked at Joshua still shock trying to take it all in, but then hanged his head feeling unsure of himself

 

"But...Joshua, I don't even know how I became an Angel back when I saved Shiki. It...It just sort of happened. Same goes for when I somehow became a Composer thanks to your energy" he said clasping his right shoulder

 

Joshua then looked at him with his hand on his chin

 

 

"I know this must seem overwhelming for you, but you've become stronger before Neku. That's what this training is for. If your friends could do it, than so can you. What happened before was like an adrenaline rush, now is when you're going to learn how to actually do it."

 

"Okay...I'll try" Neku said determined

 

 

Neku then took a deep breath, and did his focusing pose

 

"Open up, your senses" Neku said aloud

 

He then imagined Space in his head, galaxies, stars, planets, asteroids, and the multiple suns that inhabit outer space.

 

"Just let go…set your Soul free…apart of the universe." he thought

 

He felt at peace as his body began to float and his energy leaked out of him as a gray color making his body become white.

 

"Soul is energy, energy that lives in…all of us. Open up your world…become free, and expand your mind." Neku thought

 

As he focused on the universe inside his head, he then opened his eyes and saw Joshua snap his fingers, becoming his Composer form, smiling at him being pleased

 

At that moment Mr. H had returned to see Joshua smiling at Neku

 

"He did it Mr. H" Joshua thought pleased

 

Neku then opened his eyes

 

"I feel really warm…like when someone puts there hand close to a little flame, like fire on a candle." Neku said calmly

 

"Hee hee good job Neku. You finally did it." Joshua said pleased

 

"Heh, congrats Phones you're a Composer now." Mr. H said with his hands in his pockets.

 

"this feels incredible…so now what?" Neku said curiously

 

"Now it's time to teach you what it means to be a Composer to see life through my perspective." Joshua answered

 

To be continued…


	9. A Death God's Perspective (Part 2)

Neku then looked at him confused and asked what Joshua meant by his perspective. Joshua then explained that he was referring to the way a Death God views the world.

 

"You see Neku, although I'm not the best example of this, Death Gods aren't crazy murderous beings. We exist to store the balance between life and death, though as the Composer of Shibuya I am in control of the UG as you know. To keep the human population under control…I've killed many humans and that's why killing you wasn't really that hard for me." Joshua said smiling

 

"You exist to keep balance?" Neku said confused

 

"Mhm, that is a roll that you can take on too, since you're a Death God. But there's something I want to tell you Neku, now that your mind is more free, I feel like you can handle this now." Joshua said seriously

 

"Hm? Well what is it?" Neku asked

 

"I know that you're happy that you finally have friends but you need to understand that the only way you'd be friends forever is by being dead." Joshua added

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"yeah…I know" he said weakly

 

"What I'm trying to tell you is that you shouldn't have let people hurt you to begin with Neku. It was foolish for you to be hurt by the world, it wasn't necessary. But by having your Soul still within the flesh this was a concept beyond your understanding see?" Joshua said while turning his head to Neku

 

Hearing Joshua say such a thing made his hands clench into fists.

 

"How can you say that Joshua? That I shouldn't have been affected by the people that used me, and hurt me?" Neku said hiding his anger

 

"Because Neku…abandonment is apart of your world." Joshua said darkly

 

"Humans aren't the easiest of creatures to understand. Some are near you with the intention of hurting you by making it obvious while others, like Shiki for instance, wish to know you and understand you. Yet regardless of that it doesn't matter. It's an inevitability of the living world for humans to leave one another and abandon each other. Nothing lasts forever in the Realground Neku…especially something as fragile as a friendship. People come, and people go. Whether they move away, or die, or simply leave you out of not wanting to be with you, or shun you. This is the fate of the living." he added

 

"Why?…Why are you telling me this?" Neku said hurt

 

"Because you need to see the world for what it truly is, so try not to let your emotions get in the way and understand what I'm about to tell you." Joshua replied

 

"If you were alive, you'd be fifteen years old right?" he asked Neku

 

"Yeah" he replied

 

"Well then let's say you were alive again, let's you lived on and you graduated high school, do you think you'd still be able to hang out with your little friends five years from now as a twenty year old man?"

 

"I…I don't know I mean I would have a job by then I guess so…but…it doesn't matter I can still hang out with them in my spare time though." Neku added trying to hide his fear of what Joshua was hinting towards

 

Joshua then let's out his little laugh

 

"You're so attached to them that you're struggling to think like a Composer Neku…I suppose that's to be expected since you haven't been one for very long, like me." he said teasingly

 

"But anyways, you need to accept the truth and face the reality that if you were alive right now…that you would lose them as time goes on. Say Shiki got married and had children, she wouldn't be able to hang out with you because she'd have to support her family. Let's say Rhyme went to college, do you think that she would be able to spend time with you? And Eri, if she became a fashion designer she'd have her own life to live as well. The same goes for Beat too, if he pursued a career, they'd all be busy with their own lives. Nothing lasts forever in the living world Neku." Joshua said sternly

 

The next thing he said filled Neku with heartache, like everything he ever went through in the Game was for nothing.

 

"Friends in the long run…are a distraction...they're worthless. They're only there for memories. A friendship is an illusion that makes you happy and eventually falls apart. In the long run Neku, all you'll have is memories of them. In a way that makes a friendship good cause you'll have those memories to tell you that it was real. But the truth is Neku…Friends…are memories…distractions…nothing more."

 

"Do you understand what I'm saying Neku?" he said remarking on Neku's silence

 

"I…I do…all I can do is enjoy the moment while it lasts…cause then…it'll be gone…but…we're dead so I can be with them forever. I…I don't want to lose them…Does that mean that everything that I ever went through in the UG was for nothing?" he said weakly

 

"Oh don't be so melancholy Neku, of course it wasn't. you just didn't know when you were human that the pain you went through was because of taking abandonment so deeply. But now you can see the living world for what it is. A simple ever changing world where life's crossroads are as simple as pulling a trigger." Joshua said smiling.

 

Neku then raised his head and looked up at Joshua and smiled a little

 

"Yeah…I guess so." he said weakly

 

"At least I have all eternity with them, but still...is that really what a friendship is? An illusion...just...something that only my memories say were real?" he thought concerned

 

Joshua then thought it would be fun to teach Neku how to cross into alternate dimensions.

 

"You see Neku reality exists in many variations for every action one doesn't take, and a world comes into existence based off of that action. For instance, when I teleported away from you at the last second and entered an alternate universe, in that universe Tin Pin Slammer is the most popular thing in Shibuya. That version of the city is also rather happy, the Tin Pin version of Shibuya also had an alternate version of you where you had friends and never knew the sadness the real you does, other than his friend dying." Joshua explained

 

"And with the ability to alter your vibe frequency, you can now travel to alternate worlds. However this uses a lot of power so only two people can go for the trip. Also you have to be careful Neku, should you power down too much you won't have enough energy to go back to your original world, in other words, you'd be stuck there forever." he said cautiously

 

"Wait hold up, Alternate worlds? that's...that's crazy!" Neku said in shock

 

"Maybe so, but believe me when I say they do exist." Joshua replied

 

At that moment Mr. H appeared as a ball of light and turned into his human form.

 

"hey there Phones how ya doin?" Mr. H said in his usual laid back attitude.

 

"Oh hey there Mr. Hanekoma…I'm fine, Joshua just told me how I can travel to alternate dimensions as a Composer, can Angels do that too?" Neku asked

 

"You bet that's how I got Joshua back to his original world, since he was out of power to go back." Mr. H said with his hand behind his neck

 

"So what else you talked about?" he said curious about Neku's condition

 

"Knowing you Josh I think ya might've said something too strongly Phones's mind and soul has destabilized a bit." Mr. H said to him telepathically

 

"well he…he also told me how a Composer views the world of the living…and the reality…behind friends." Neku said smiling trying to hide how much that talk hurt him.

 

"anyway" Neku said trying to avoid going too deeply into that conversation "I was thinking…well I wanna try to go to an alternate universe Mr. H…and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

 

"Sure Phones, you don't mind right Josh?" Mr. H asked sort of hinting why he wanted to monitor Neku

 

"not at all you two have fun I'll just kill some more humans." Joshua said smiling

 

Neku and Mr. H then dissolved into sparks of light and entered the Tin Pin loving Shibuya with Mr. H as a human and Neku as his Soul. Mr. H told Neku that it's not good to interact with other dimensions too much due to how it can distort it an make that reality disappear. He also told Neku that Joshua had minor interaction so it didn't effect the reality that they were in.

 

He also said that Neku would only be visible to him, so in order to not attract attention to himself he would only talk to Neku telepathically until he had a moment to himself.

 

Neku loved that this was helping him not think about what Joshua told him so he wanted to keep going to other worlds for as long as he could.

 

They traveled to more alternate worlds and found one where Rhyme was the older sister and Beat was her little brother. They also saw in this universe that Neku had a little brother, and Shiki had a little brother too.

 

"You know this is…kinda cool. I've always wondered what it'd be like to have someone to turn to other than my parents, well...more like my mom, when I wasn't bothering her…to have a brother or sister to help me in my childhood." Neku said mentally

 

"heh heh, yeah that's the beauty of traveling to other worlds Phones, you get to see the unrealized possibilities life has in store." Mr. H replied telepathically

 

They noticed how even the Reapers that were killed in the Reapers' Game were alive in this world making Neku gasp with shock

 

"it's okay Phones in this world they're just people. They won't hurt you." Mr. H said mentally to him

 

Eventually the two friends found an alley where they could go into and finally talk to each other.

 

"We've got enough energy for one more visit Phones and then go back, or we could head back now." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Sweet, I wanna see one last world" Neku said eagerly

 

"heh heh alright then" Mr. H said as he placed his hand on Neku's shoulder while closing his eyes

 

The moment Neku closed his eyes too they teleported to another world.

 

Unknown to them is that Anthony was following them the whole time and thought it would be fun to try to scare Neku in the next world he visited.

 

When they opened their eyes Mr. H and Neku were filled with shock making Neku gasp at the gruesome scenery.

 

It was Shibuya…but not the way he's used to seeing it. In this reality, it's Joshua's choice to destroy the city. In this version he also shot Neku and brought the Players back to life…only to live in this wasteland. Neku sees the streets he's known cracked with plates of the earth sticking upward. The buildings had all their glass shattered and the famous 104 building was laying on the road.

 

Cars were smashed beneath the weight of the buildings and several buildings were reduced to rubble. He saw other citizens running for their lives as other buildings were on fire and many of the other buildings were smashing into each other like dominoes.

 

Mr. H then realized what this was and looked over to Neku to see his irises shaking with fear as he watched his home fall apart.

 

At that moment they felt the ground shake

 

"Nngh! Mr. H!" Neku screamed

 

"It's okay Phones get down now!" Mr. H shouted

 

Neku and Mr. H then laid close to the ground with him generating a barrier of Angel energy around himself and Neku to protect him. He then looked up and noticed a white figure not too far away from him

 

"I'm washing my hands of this city, its influence is too strong." Neku saw this reality's Joshua say to the alternate Mr. H

 

They stood on top of one the buildings that hadn't fallen down yet.

 

"You sure about this Boss? Please don't do this! This city has unlocked potential if it's erased now…the humans here will never expand their world!" the alternate Mr. H said pleading with Joshua

 

"I know Sanae…but it's too late for them." Joshua said darkly in his Composer form.

 

In this reality, the Composer doesn't have a direct link to the city, so it can be destroyed and not effect the Composer. The mighty Composer then extended his hand outward making the buildings, the streets and roads, and people, dissolve into static. Seeing people scream and panic as they dissolved into static terrfied Neku, making him rmember the times he almsot faced Erasure, causing the real Neku to squeeze his hair and cry, as everything dissolved into the air with only four survivors. This reality's Beat, Shiki, Rhyme and Neku.

 

When he then opened his eyes he saw himself and his friends, their clothes were torn, dirt and dust was all over their face and clothes. Even the alternate Neku's headphones had parts missing with wires sticking out of them and dirt and dust on them.

the real Neku saw them dying as the alternate Joshua manipulated this reality's version of his friends' bodies making them starve to death. They scurried like mice across the rubble of Shibuya desperate for food, even if it meant looking for a garbage can. Neku saw himself become so weak that passed out on the floor landing on his face. A famished Shiki then picked him up by the arms

 

"Come on…Ne--

 

She then let's out an intense cough from her inhaling dust and other particles in the air from the explosion.

 

"we…we need…to…to keep going…" she said weakly

 

"Shi…ki…" the alternate Neku whispered

 

As the dying Players all walked around a little longer for what felt like fifteen minuets, Neku saw himself become even more fatigued coughing from inhaling dust. as the dying Neku kept walking, his senses began to fail him causing his vision to blur, and everything began to become quiet and dark.

His movement was sluggish causing him to drag his heels as he walked, like it was draining him just to move.The starving version of himself couldn't walk anymore.

"Shi...Shi...ki" the dying Neku wheezed "I'm...sorry"

 

with his last breath the alternate Neku then fell to the floor face first again…he had had enough.

"Neku? …Neku!" Shiki screamed

 

She then turned Neku over to his back and held his wrist, she then placed her hand on his chest just incase she didn't check his wrist right…and felt her eyes water as she cried laying on top of him.

 

Beat carried his dying sister in his arms and ran to Shiki

 

"NO! NEKU! He…HE CAN'T BE YO! HE JUS' CAN'T!" the starving Beat screamed with tears streaming down his face.

 

Eventually Rhyme died too, with only Beat and Shiki left, only for them to suffer the same fate. When the four friends laid on the street dead Joshua then snapped his fingers making them dissolve into static.

 

The real Neku just stared at the ruined city in shock. Overwhelmed with heartache and fear over what he'd just seen destabilizing his mind and Soul even more. They then got to their feet with Neku wiping his tears away.

 

"I'm so sorry Phones…I was hoping this never became an alternate reality. C'mon let's go back." Mr. H said sadly

 

"this…this is the destruction that I…I helped Joshua do…I was fighting for his side of the bet…this…NOOOOO! This…this is cause of…" Neku screamed while squeezing his hair.

 

"Phones…this isn't really happening, this is just an alternate reality remember? This was Joshua's choice, he did this not you." Mr. H said with his hands on Neku's trembling hands pulling them away from his head

 

"Come on now…it's okay…let's just go back alright?" Mr. H insisted

 

He then grabbed Mr. H's shirt and began squeezing it. Burring his face in Mr. H's chest, drenching Mr. H's shirt with his tears.

 

"How?!…H-How can I-I go back?!" Neku screamed as his voice was breaking

 

"I can't just pretend this didn't happen! If Joshua hadn't changed his mind in the Game then this would've been the RG! Shiki, Eri, Beat and Rhyme, our families...everyone in Shibuya! THEY'D BE DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!...it's...my...fault" he said sniffling

 

Mr. H then closed his eyes and generated his white Angel energy to soothe Neku and help him calm down.

 

"You're right Phones this is what would've happened to the RG but, it didn't! you and you're friends are safe and so is your family. I'm aware that this was a possibility but you need to remember that that's all this was showing you what could have happened remember? It's alright I promise it is. Now come on, let's leave this nightmare huh?" Mr. H said kindly

 

Neku then let's go of Mr. H and hanged his head

 

"Y-yeah the sooner we get out of this hell the better." Neku added

 

"Oh? Leaving so soon?" he heard a voice call out to him.

 

The familiarity of the voice caused Neku to gasp out of fear, turning to his left, towards the source of the sound.

 

"No!…He can't be here!" Neku thought afraid

 

"Phones run!" Mr. H cried

 

He then turned to Neku to see his wide with fear

 

"Phones!...Neku!" Mr. H yelled "Snap out of it kiddo! You gotta run NOW! I'll cover you!"

 

"Come on you think it'll be that easy Sanae? Neku's right in front of me… so I'm not going to miss my chance." Anthony said slyly

 

Neku then looked at Mr. H and then looked at Anthony. He then hanged his head and balled his hands into fists before entering his fighting stance

 

"I...I can't just leave you!" Neku shouted while in his stance

 

"Neku...I know you're being brave right now, but you're not ready! You need more training! GO! I'll make sure to get you out of here when this is over!" Mr. H said sternly

 

Knowing deep down that Mr. H was right, Neku saw this as his chance to run causing Anthony to charge after him only to have Mr. H teleport himself to the Demon's direction and block his path.

 

"NO! Rrrrrgh! Dammit! How could I have left CAT to fight him…I…I can't just leave him! But Anthony's stronger than the Composer so…I…can't fight him! Mr. H knows what he's doing, he's fought demons before. I have to trust him!" Neku thought

 

Neku then found a mountainous amount of rubble and hid behind it.

 

He then heard the grunts and screams of the two powerful beings attacking eatch other.

 

"Rrrgh! Please….please don't be hurt Mr. H…" Neku thought worried.

 

The fight continued with Anthony backing down

 

"You can't keep this up Sanae, you know as well as I do that a Fallen Angel's energy is weaker than a non criminal Angel…if I have to kill you to get Neku then I will. Heh, guess I'll see you later then CAT." Anthony said smiling while teleporting away

 

Mr. H used his second sight, an ability that allowed him to see people in the UG while being in the RG (like Joshua) and to see spirits in the RG, allowing him to see Neku hiding behind a large amount of rubble.

 

He arrived there to see Neku with his legs bent to overlap his chest with his hands squeezing his hair again.

 

"Phones, you okay?" Mr. H asked concerned but he didn't get a response

 

Mr. H then sat beside Neku

 

"Neku?" Mr. H said sadly

 

Neku then takes his hands off his head, placing them by his side and raised his head and looked at Mr. H, seeing how he must've had to conserve energy and be human in the fight due to how his clothes were torn and he had cuts and bruises all over his body.

 

"Mr. H…you go on ahead…there's no reason for me to go back." Neku said weakly

 

"What? Phones this isn't like you." Mr. H said concerned

 

"I know…that's cause I finally see all the pain and suffering I've put my friends through. You, Joshua, Shiki, Beat, Rhyme…you all have gotten hurt because of me. All I am is just…a threat to other people…I put them in danger. I'm just a burden. I'm dragging you all down and holding you back. There's no need for me to go back, they're all better off without me, they'll be safe without me, and so will you CAT." Neku said in dry weak voice

 

"No…Neku's mind is in even worse shape then when he was before he entered the Reapers' Game. He has a sense of hopelessness, and such overwhelming sadness and regret over himself even existing that if I actually left him alone…he could…" Mr. H thought sadly

 

"Phones you don't really mean this right? Please tell me you don't cause…then I don't think even Angel energy can heal you now…making you so unreachable. Do you really want to leave everyone all your friends? Including me?" Mr. H asked

 

"Yes" Neku replied

 

"Please…don't do this to yourself! What about enjoying the moment?" Mr. H said concerned

 

"I can't enjoy the moment knowing everyone is in danger of dying because of all of you, trying to be there for me." Neku said coldly

 

Mr. H then hanged his head, filled with sadness of how broken his mind is.

 

"I'm not worth it Mr. Hanekoma, my life isn't worth this" Neku said in a dry voice

 

hearing Neku say such a thing made him extremely worried, but even more determined not to give up on him

 

"Well what about Shiki?" Mr. H persisted

 

"what about her?" Neku asked

 

"Did she give up on you even though she knew fighting Damien could get her killed? Did Beat give up on you, or Rhyme, or Joshua?" Mr. H said sternly

 

"no…they…they didn't." Neku answered

 

"So then why are you throwing everything away huh? They almost died trying to get you back, to be your friend again…and you're just going to throw that away like it doesn't matter? I know you don't want to live an afterlife where your filled with fear, but running away from everyone isn't the answer. I'll do everything I can to protect you Phones, until you're strong enough to fight on your own. Even though I'm a criminal…even though I'm a Fallen Angel, I'll still fulfill my duties as a Guardian Angel, and that means protecting the citizens of the Higher Plane…and that includes you. Please Neku please don't give up like this." Mr. H pleaded

 

"Don't throw CAT away. You still like my art right?" he asked as a was of seeing if anything has synced in

 

"Yeah…CAT…CAT's always been there for me…even before I died in Udagawa...before the Reapers' Game, CAT was all I really had, the only person that made me happy. Thanks Mr. H" Neku said weakly

 

"Don't mention it champ, as a Guardian Angel, a graffiti artist, and friend, I'll always be there for you watching over you, ready to protect you. It's my job to do so but…the real reason is because…I want to Neku." he said patting Neku's head making him smile

 

"there you go Phones!" Mr. H said happily

 

They then got to their feet and teleported back to the Higher Plane with Neku's mind fully restored.


	10. A Moment of Peace

(The Last Day)

 

Once Neku and Mr. H returned to the Composer district, they walked around the district a little where he revealed some other information about the Higher Plane to him.

 

"Just wondering, did ya ever notice how your cell phone had some new features to it while in the UG? Other than the ones I made of course." Mr. H asked as they walked

 

"Yeah…there was something on my phone called an ESP rank. Since ESP is short for Extra Sensory Perception, and that means that a person with that ability can read minds and other mental abilties…was that ranking system measuring my imagination?" Neku asked curiously

 

"You got it Phones, and that ranking system increased more as you fought Noise, showing how you were getting stronger. Anyways, what I wanted to tell ya is that actually the ranking system can go really high up depending on how much your imagination increased…even to Composer level." Mr. H explained

 

"What?!…Seriously? I could've made my imagination that strong?" Neku said in shock

 

"Yup and the ranking above that, which also applies to the rankings in the Higher Plane, is Angel, like me. You, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme are technically stronger than me, since I'm a Fallen Angel though. In fact, Angels actually have more imagination than Composers, making you already stronger than Joshua." Mr. H added smiling

 

Neku simply looked at Mr. H taking it all in.

 

"But…I don't understand this. If Angels are stronger than Composers then how come you guys aren't in charge of the Reapers' Game?" Neku said confused

 

"Heh, well that's cause as you might've guessed from hanging out with one, we Angels don't really like having to deal with death, even if there was one who once did. Since Composers are Gods of Death, we simply let them handle that, while we help with other things involving with Imagination and Soul, like how I saved Rhyme. We Angels and Composers tend to stick together especially since Demons hate us so much that Angels are often times targeted by them and as well as Composers." Mr. H said smiling

 

"But here, the Higher Plane is ran by Angels. We're the ones that established the rules of each district and the Higher Ups, are the strongest ones. This place is also called the Plane of Angels after all. So we tend to act as sort of like body guards for them, which is why every Angel, with the exception of the Higher Ups, are paired with a Composer. After all, what's better than having a guardian be more powerful than you, making it easier for them to protect you? Even if it's not by that much since a Composer is right behind an Angel" Mr. H said laid back as usual

 

"Huh, you know when you put it that way, that makes sense." Neku said smiling

 

"So CAT's basically a body guard for Joshua protecting him, and like solider protecting the citizens of the Higher Plane? Heh, sweet! Being so powerful, the job's probably really easy for him." he thought amazed

 

"But" Mr. H continued "there is a ranking even stronger than us Angels"

 

Neku then made sure to walk right next to Mr. H to take in every word

 

"The ranking above that, is Demon, meaning that they're stronger than us." Mr. H said darkly

 

Just the thought of that made Neku gasp out of fear while looking at Mr. H in shock.

 

Noticing this Mr. H smiled at him

 

"It's okay Phones, I promise" The Angel said sweetly

 

"You see, back when the Higher Plane was first formed, all the first Guardian Angels were given the difficult task of wiping out all Demons due to the Higher Up's concern that they may try to destroy the Higher Plane, being strong enough to do so. It was impossible to achieve, so they killed as many Demons as they could. Eventually, many centuries passed in the RG's Time and I was born, died and became an Angel too." He explained

 

"As I grew stronger, I ended up having to kill some Demons too. But as hard as we tried, me and the other Guardian Angels couldn't wipe them all out. but we killed some of the most powerful ones. There's still an issue though, even if they're gone, demons are still stronger than us by default, even ones at a slightly weaker ranking" the Angel added

 

"Demons like Clarissa for example, who would've thought that the power of the strongest Demons still existed though? …that, unfortunately, Phones, is what Anthony has. Odds are, since he exists, that means the true power of demons does as well, that demons just like him are in hiding" Mr. H said darkly

 

Hearing such a bone-chilling statement made Neku hide his face in his funnel collar and stop walking, causing Mr. H to also stop walking as well.

 

"But…then how did the first Guardian Angels and more recent Guardians like you kill Demons that strong?" Neku said weakly

 

Mr. H then sighed and scratched his head

 

"By pushing ourselves to our limit. By nearly draining all of our bodies of energy, attacking in such massive numbers and unleashing that amount of energy, the most powerful demons only had so much time to react, allowing us to kill them. In other words, an ambush." Mr. H replied

 

"But then…that would mean that if…if you had to fight Anthony that…" Neku said as he felt his eyes water at the thought of Mr. H Fading

 

Mr. H sensing what Neku was hinting at placed his hand on Neku's right shoulder.

 

"It's okay Phones, since the original Guardian Angels weren't able to kill all of them, I've had to fight them too. I've got tons of experience fighting Demons like him. They're difficult to defeat but not impossible. Nothing is gonna happen to me, it'll all be fine in the end, and then you'll be able to live your afterlife the way it's supposed to be, full of freedom and peace." Mr. H said reassuringly

 

Hearing his kind words cheered up Neku causing him to raise his head to look at Mr. H.

 

"Yeah…just like your slogan, do you what you want, how you want, when you want." Neku said smiling

 

"Exactly." Mr. H said nudging Neku's arm.

 

Mr. H then smiled ant continued to tell Neku about the rankings

 

"There's something else I wanna add though, there's a ranking that's even higher than a Demon Phones…it's a ranking that's rarely ever achieved. Out of all the Angels, Composers and Spirits with strong imagination, like you, that have been in the Higher Plane, outta all the years I've existed, only four Angels, and four Composers have ever gone to this point, fully achieving their expectations as such a powerful form of energy. This is due to how his ranking is nearly impossible to achieve. it requires so much energy, that many Higher Mind spirits like you, have Faded trying to attempt this…the ranking beyond Demons Neku, making you the ultimate form of energy…is God ranking." Mr. H added

 

Neku then starred at Mr. H in disbelief

 

"G-God ranking?! That…that's actually a ranking!? I…being a Higher Mind…I could go that far?" Neku asked astonished

 

"Yup as the Ultimate God you could do anything, and I literally mean anything. From making other Solar Systems and galaxies to creating your own species of animals, you could do anything, and be anything you wanted to be. Your imagination would have no limits. If you really wanted to, you could even add new continents to Earth, or add other Planets to the earth's solar system…and no one, not even Anthony could kill you." Mr. H explained

 

Neku was silent just trying to take in what he just heard.

 

"I…I could….I could do all of that?! I…I'd be able to do…anything?! This…is what…a person with high imagination's true potential is?! TO BECOME THE ULTIMATE GOD?! It's no wonder that demons have tried to kill me since I first came here. They…they all know that I…I can become unstoppable. That's why they want to kill me…" Neku thought amazed

 

"So…if I became the most powerful being in all existence…then…nothing could hurt me?" Neku said weakly

 

"Yeah, when an Angel, Composer or Higher Mind, like you has that power, the ability to feel pain is gone. Literally nothing can hurt you. Your body will lean from the impact, but you won't feel a thing." Mr. H said smiling

 

"The only way Anthony would even stand a chance against you is by going to his true form, and unlike your Virtuoso form as Damien, his true form would be an evenly matched opponent." Mr. H explained

 

Neku glad to know he has a chance at finally being free smiled at Mr. H and thanked him for telling him that…that he feels a lot better knowing that he can be free.

 

Eventually Neku altered his vibe frequency so he could go back to the HP Shibuya with Mr. H saying that he can come back anytime. Joshua also added that he was going to go to the HP Shibuya in a while to go tell him something important.

 

He then teleported himself back to the HP Shibuya

 

"Heh heh, back at the Scramble Crossing huh? Just like the Game." Neku thought chuckling

 

He then heard multiple people shouting his name. He then turned around to see all his friends running up to him (with the exception of Joshua and Mr. H of course) they all urgently asked him where he was and what happened to him, with Beat giving Neku a nuggie causing him to smile and laugh and Shiki hugging him saying how they were all worried about him.

 

"Guys I'm okay really. I was just teleported to the Enlighten Realm by Joshua and he taught me how to adjust my vibe frequency, when I did that I was able to go to the Composer district." Neku answered

 

"Vibe frequency? Oh yeah Shiki told us about that while you were gone." Rhyme said smiling

 

"Yeah we didn't know it could do that too." Eri said smiling.

 

"Yeah so what happened yo? What'd you do?" Beat asked

 

At that moment Joshua told him something telepathically

 

"Hey there Neku hee hee. Feeling better now I see, once you've hanged out with your little friends in the HP Shibuya I want to show you how to bring humans to the Higher Plane. It's actually kind of fun, I'll also be joining you down there soon. There's something you need to know."

 

"Yo Phones you okay man?" Beat said noticing how he was silent

 

"Oh, um yeah I'm fine. Joshua just sort of interrupted you. Heh heh, he said that he's gonna come here soon and wants to show me how to bring humans to the Higher Plane later." Neku replied

 

"BWAAAAAAAH! Whatchu mean by that yo?! Only a Composer can bring people back to life 'n stuff you ain't…wait…you sayin' that you…aw man you gotta be kiddin' yo!" Beat shouted

 

"yeah when I adjusted my vibe frequency and went to the Composer district I learned how to become a Composer at will." Neku explained 

 

"Hell ya that's kickass yo! I always wanted to be the Composer, but...prissy boy told me and da others that we were better off fightin' you as Angels since Composers gotta fight wanting to kill. And...even you was a Demon, I ain't got that in me to fight you like dat" Beat said excited 

 

Neku then chuckled

 

"Heh, well...I'm glad you don't have that in you, cause if you did, you would've killed me when you were a Reaper" he said with a smug smile 

 

Beat them chuckled too

 

"Yeah, so what else you got to do Phones?" Beat asked

 

"Well, in addition to being a Death God, l learned you can also adjust you're vibe to enter other worlds." Neku added

 

 

The four friends then looked at Neku in shock

 

"Heh heh, alright I'll explain what I mean by that." Neku said smiling

 

He told them how if they adjusted their power that they too could enter the Composer District, and told them how natural born Angels, Composers and Enlightens arrive in the Higher Plane. He also said that since Eri isn't a natural born Enlighten, like a vast majority of the Enlightens in the Enlighten district, that she would have to learn how to be an Angel too in order to go there. He then told them of the alternate realities that he and Mr. H visited.

 

"Whoa that's so cool I had a brother in one of them?" Shiki said happily

 

"yeah I had one too." Neku said smiling

 

He also told them about how in another reality Beat was the little brother and Rhyme was the older sister.

 

"Man this sounds awesome yo! I wanna see all those ruralities too man! Any other ones you got to see?" Beat said eagerly

 

"Yeah there was this alternate version of Shibuya where Tin Pin Slammer was the most popular thing there! Joshua also got to go to that place too." Neku said with his hand on his hip and his usual smug smile

 

Neku then couldn't help but hide his face til his friends only saw his bangs with his hands in his pockets feeling a little sad from what he told them next

 

"He also got to meet the alternate version of myself…where…I…I already had friends…and never knew what it was like to be hurt by people. A life that I never had…for the fifteen years I was alive…I never had that…until now." Neku said weakly

 

"Yeah but we're all here Neku remember that! You clashed and met people with different personalities than you, people with different values than you…us…so please don't be sad cause now you're like that other version of yourself." Shiki said smiling

 

Neku then raised his head and smiled back at her

 

"yeah…you're right…about everything. Thanks." he said happily

 

"Don't mention it Neku…so…were there any other versions of Shibuya you saw?" Shiki said smiling

 

"Y-yeah there was…

 

Neku then flashed back to seeing the city being destroyed, to Anthony running after him.

 

Seeing how pale Neku became Shiki then held his hand.

 

"It's okay Neku…you don't need to tell me." she said sweetly

 

"yeah…thanks." Neku said weakly as he regained color

 

"Don't think about that, just enjoy the moment. Enjoy what's here right in front of me, and focus on the now." he thought

 

Neku then wanted to help Eri catch up, so they went to the Enlighten district where he sent some of his Angel energy to her. She also nearly faded when trying to become an Angel but then Neku told her to focus on what she wanted to happen. Eventually by doing as he instructed her, Eri also became an Angel thanks to being around Neku, she was also empowered by his energy, allowing her to do this.

 

They all then went to Neku's apartment where he showed them how to draw graffiti in marker. as they all drew together, Neku smiled at how some of his friends caught on more than others.

 

"damn this is really tough yo. I had no idea how detailed graffiti is man" Beat said a little frusterated

 

 

Neku then chuckled at his remark

 

 

"well what'd you expect? for this to be something you could do on the first try? Graffiti is art Beat, so it's gonna take practice" he said smiling

Beat then chuckled

 

 

"yeah that's true Phones" he said smiling

 

 

the girls then giggled at the moment as they practiced.

 

 

they all noticed that Neku's lettering looked the best causing Eri to smile

 

 

"You're really good at this you know. I think this is really cool Neku" Eri said happily

 

 

"heh, you mean it? thanks...I've just been doing this for a while that's all" Neku said smiling at her

 

 

as they continued to draw graffiti, in marker they then saw a ball of light appear in Neku's room that became Joshua

 

"Hee hee, mind if I join?" Joshua said while pulling his hair back.

 

"Um no…I don't mind um…you wanna draw graffiti too?" Neku asked a little startled

 

"Well actually I was hoping to play a game before I tell you all the things I need to tell you." Joshua said smiling

 

"You know, I've been curious to play Tin Pin Slammer with you Neku" Joshua said slyly

 

 

picking up on his ton of voice, Neku then crossed his arms

 

 

"Oh really? why's that? especially since I beat you remember?" Neku said firmly

 

"I remember. but, let's see what you can do NOW Neku. I want to see if you're really just as good using four pins at the same time, that is...unless you're nervous and afraid of losing hee hee." Joshua said pulling back his hair

 

 

Neku then groaned placing his left hand by his head and right hand on his waist

 

 

"Oh please, you may be the Composer, but that doesn't mean you'll automatically win" Neku said annoyed

 

 

Joshua then shrugged

 

 

"all nothing but talk Neku. I guess you really ARE afraid of losing to me, behind that laid back attitude is a bunch of pride, to the point you won't even face me. I suppose you're just too caught up in it to even risk losing. how disappointing" he said wanting to bait Neku

 

"Rrrgh! what was that?! You honestly think I'm AFRAID of losing to you?! and...my PRIDE?!you only played once and lost! I can take you on anytime!" Neku said triumphantly

 

Joshua then chuckled and snapped his fingers creating a table in front of him

 

 

"we'll see about that now won't we? still gonna back out?" the Composer said sitting behind his side of the table, facing Neku

 

 

"heh, don't count on it" Neku said sitting across from Joshua

 

 

the two boys then summoned four pins, one for each of their fingers, and flicked their pins at each other. as they did, Neku noticed that Joshua was using Angel and Reaper Pins (being Visionary Blend a CAT pin and Corehog for his Angel pins and Raven and Carcin for his Reaper Pins)so he decided to use some of the pins he would use to fight the Noise

 

 

"my Jupiter of the Money K pin, my Drake Angel Pin, my Dragon Couture Blue Bloods Burns Blue pin and my Reaper Wolf Pin, that ought to help" Neku thought

 

 

As Neku and Joshua slammed their pins into each other, Neku's other friends watched intently as they flinged their pins off of the table making only two pins remain for each of them.

 

 

"this is getting close" Eri thought

 

 

"yeah now Neku only has his J of M pin and his Blue Bloods Burns Blue pin" Shiki thought

 

 

"and Joshua has Visionary Blend and Raven left" Rhyme added telepathically

 

 

at that moment the two pins crashed into each other making Neku's J of M pin go flying off the table and Joshua lost his Corehog Pin

 

 

the two boys then crashed their pins into each other yet again only to have Neku notice something, Joshua's pin was moving much faster, at an almost inhuman speed

 

"What the hell Joshua? I bet you're cheating aren't you?" Neku said mentally

 

 

"Of course not Neku, you think I'd somehow use my powers to play a game? That's rather silly" Joshua said telepathically

 

the Corehog Pin then zig-zagged across the table bouncing off of the corners as Neku tried to get his pin to knock it off the table, Joshua then smashed his pin into Neku's making his go off of the table, causing Neku to cross his arms

 

"Hee hee that was fun…so do you want to go against me again?" Joshua asked

 

"Um…Joshua wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?" Neku said crossing his arms.

 

"Don't worry we have all eternity Neku…there's no need to rush." Joshua said smiling

 

"well if you say so but this time, one on one." Neku said smiling

 

They then replayed each other only to have Neku lose again, just barely escaping Joshua's zig-zag maneuver only to then get slammed off of the table

 

"Cheater" Neku said crossing his arms glaring at Joshua

 

"I'm not cheating Neku you just messed up is all." Joshua said teasingly causing Shiki, Rhyme and Eri to giggle

 

"Oh really now Josh? Cause you moved the pin at an insane speed and unlike you, I was actually trying to play the game without using supernatural powers." Neku said with a smug smile with his hand on his hip

 

"Hm? Come on Neku don't tell me you're actually upset that I beat you?" Joshua said with his hand on his chin looking at Neku curiously

 

Neku then just glared at Joshua again while crossing his arms.

 

"well there's that and…you cheated." Neku grumbled

 

"Cheater." he said again

 

Joshua then laughed at Neku

 

"Oh Neku you're so funny when you hide how angry you really are." Joshua said smiling with his hands in his back pockets

 

"Cheater" Neku said a third time

 

"Ugh stop calling me that" Joshua said while crossing his arms

 

"No. I'm not gonna stop…because you cheated" Neku said calmly

 

Beat, Shiki, Eri, and Rhyme all laughed at the situation happy to see Neku being himself again, this then caused Joshua and Neku to look at them confused.

 

They then watched Neku try to spray paint the tagmural in Udagawa on a poster, making Shiki smile at him seeing Neku happy as he spray painted.

 

Then after that, they all took turns playing Tin Pin Slammer, with Beat and Rhyme even versing each other, his friends then returned to their apartments leaving Joshua to finally talk to Neku.

 

He then noticed how serious Joshua had become.

 

"Neku you remember the time you were reunited with your mother in the RG right?" Joshua said crossing his arms while sitting on Neku's chair by his computer.

 

"Yeah am I in trouble for that?" Neku asked sitting on his bed

 

"Yup, the Higher Ups are going to put you on trial. It was originally going to be because of the Reapers Game and your part in it, the fact that you fought in my place is going to be held against you. They meant to put you on trial all this time. THAT is the real reason l needed your help, the war just sort of happened and then they had to postpone your trial even further when you became the Demon Lord" Joshua said slyly

 

"WHAT?!" Neku yelled as he stood up

 

"WHY DID YOU KEEP THAT A SECRET ALL THIS TIME?!" He said furiously shaking his fist

 

Joshua then pulled his hair back and smiled

 

"I guess you could say...I thought it was amusing. Hee hee." The Composer said letting out a sinister chuckle

 

Neku then hid his face under his bangs and hands in his pockets 

 

"You knew...all this time, and you were going to let me face the Higher Ups with me not knowing what they were going to do to me?" He said weakly

 

"Originally yes, because l thought it would be interesting, but l also figured you had a right to know. They're re also going to hold the murders you committed as Damien against you, the trail is starting in five days, according to the rise and setting of the sun in the HP Shibuya,  today is the last day before the trail." Joshua said seriously

 

Seeing Joshua like this and not teasing him, or trying to make him angry made him nervous

 

He then got even more angry shaking his fist at Joshua enraged at him

 

"Rrrrrrgh! Then why the hell did you wait this long to tell me?!" Neku roared

 

Joshua then let's out his sinister laugh and also rose to his feet

 

"Because I wanted you to enjoy yourself before the trail started" Joshua said while pulling back his hair.

 

"Rrrrggh! Dammit Joshua you find this funny don't you?! The Higher Ups Josh! The Higher Ups are putting me on trail! So this means I'm in a crap load of trouble! That's what it means right?!" Neku screamed enraged

 

"Yup but don't worry Neku, you're a Higher Mind. A person with high levels of imagination after all, and the Higher Ups are very fond of Higher Minds." Joshua said smiling

 

"Now come on I'm going to show you how to bring humans to the Higher Plane it'll be a nice distraction Neku" Joshua said slyly

 

Neku then was about to tell Joshua to get out of his house but he then took a deep breath and sighed realizing Joshua was right. Neku didn't want to think about what the Higher Ups could have in store for him.

 

They then went to the Composer district where Joshua taught Neku how to use his energy to kill humans, something that made Neku uncomfortable.

 

He still doesn't like the idea of killing someone unless it's for self defense like the Reapers' Game was. Joshua reassured him that he wasn't committing murder.

 

"All you're doing Neku, is merely taking them on a journey allowing their life in one world to end and begin in another. That's the roll of a Death God to show them the way." Joshua said to him

 

"Yeah that makes sense. To start over, to end life in one world and begin another…the world begins with you." Neku thought

 

After bringing humans that were meant to die to the Higher Plane Joshua said that he's free to go back to the HP Shibuya and recommended Neku getting some rest for his trial, that he would need it.

 

Neku then teleports himself to his room and did as Joshua advised, concerned with not knowing what could happen then.

 

To be continued…


	11. The Trial Begins

As Neku rested he kept getting dreams of him hanging out with his friends but then, just like how he told Shiki in the RG, sometimes, he would dream of the Reapers' Game in his mind, and this was one of those times. He sees himself fighting the Conductor's dragon Noise and sees himself dying as the numerous Dragon heads all attacked him. He screamed at his friends that he needed help, but in his dream he couldn't make the light puck.

 

_"What?! I can't sync my energy with them?!" he said in the dream_

_As the dream intensified Neku squeezed his pillow from it feeling so real. The multiple dragon heads all viciously attacked Neku in the dream causing him to scream in pain until he dissolved into static._

_"Now Shibuya_   _will be saved Megumi said in the dream_

The moment Neku heard this in the dream he instantly woke up terrified causing him to sit up.

 

He then looked at his hands seeing that he was transparent as usual letting out a sigh of relief

 

"Good, I'm still the energy within me, I'm still a human Soul." Neku thought

 

"It's just a dream…I beat the Game, that was just a dream." he said to himself to trying to convince himself it wasn't real.

 

"Just rest a little more" Neku thought

 

He then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

 

"Focus on something else" he thought before drifting into a deep sleep

 

His next dream was watching Sota and Nao die in the Reapers' Game seeing how wounded, and sad Sota was made Neku instantly open his eyes.

 

"Okay maybe I've had enough rest." Neku thought.

 

He then gets up from his bed and held his MP3 player in his hand and plays the Hip hop styled song called It's So Wonderful on his computer.

 

"Haven't done this in a while." he thought

 

 

As Neku began to enjoy the music that was playing in his room, Shiki began to pick up on a certain sound coming from it

 

 

"Huh? What's going on at Neku's apartment?" she wondered

 

Shiki then phased through her bedroom wall and instantly teleported to Neku's bedroom and stuck her head and upper body through the bedroom door. She sees him laying on his bed while snapping his fingers to the beat, each snap then created a strong stomp sound that was so in tune with the beat, that Neku forgot it was him doing it, and felt like it was part of the song.

 

At about 1:04 minutes of the song, Neku then got up off the bed and moonwalked as the guitar part kicked in, he was so into the music that he didn't even notice Shiki until it was over. He then double glanced at his bedroom door.

 

"Huh? W-What are you…Um….you…you saw that?" Neku said nervously

 

Shiki then phased her whole body through the door

 

"Well yeah Neku…I heard loud stomping noises in your room so I wanted to make sure nothing bad was happening and then I saw you dance heh heh." Shiki said smiling while cuddling Mr. Mew against her chest

 

"B-But that was a moment between me and the music Shiki…that..song, It's So Wonderful...I like it and th-that was private you know" he said in his shocked pose

 

"and I um…well…no one's seen me dance until now. I...I don't really like dancing actually. I just feel awkward about it...but the music sort of took over for a bit and the next thing I knew, I moonwalked to the guitar part. But I...I usually wouldn't, I don't dance." Neku admitted while awkwardly scratching his head

 

Shiki then giggled at his nervousness happy to see him doing things that he likes to do.

 

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone." Shiki said teasingly

 

"Heh heh good cause I'd be embarrassed if anyone found out." Neku said with his hand on his hip

 

They then walked out of the house together seeing it as an opportunity to hangout. Beat and Rhyme saw them walk by and so did Eri, so they also all joined them.

 

Beat then had a fun idea to see how strong Neku is as Damien just to test him and see if he's really as strong as he once was.

 

"Aight Phones show me whatchu got yo!" Beat shouted

 

"Heh, heh bring it!" Neku said in his fighting pose

 

They then charged at each other with Beat blasting energy at Neku. He then does a roundhouse kick while leaping into the air, launching a blast of black Demon energy at Beat. Beat then did a dodge roll to avoid the blast and tackled Neku to the ground. He then kicked Beat away from him and dashed at him with his claws ready to swipe at Beat, but not to hurt him.

 

"Heh heh, why are they even doing this?" Rhyme said smiling

 

"No idea. Boys are just so silly and rough house like this I guess." Shiki said giggling

 

"yeah it's just s guy thing I guess." Eri added in happily

 

As Neku swiped at Beat, Beat dodged the swipes and grabbed Neku's right arm.

 

"Heh heh, you gotta do better then dat yo!" Beat shouted

 

He then roared as he threw Neku into the air. Neku then retaliated by dissolving into his smoke form and flew towards Beat. He then went back to his Demon form and wrapped his legs around Beat's neck and did a back flip slamming Beat to the ground landing on his back, and back flipped away from Beat.

 

(In other words he did a Vertical Suplex, a professional wrestling move, though not done at the neck.)

 

As Neku landed on the ground he then saw Beat go running towards him. He then leaped into the air and spin kicked Beat's stomach followed by punching him several times in the face (Knowing Beat could take it) and finished his combo with a vertical kick to Beat's head slamming him to the ground face first.

 

(making the motion of the kick resemble the letter C)

 

When Beat got up he then did a wrestling move called the Northen Lights Suplex to Neku

 

(Similar to the vertical suplex but the person who did the move lands on their back as well)

 

He then grabbed Neku's left leg and swung him like a lasso before throwing him to the air. Beat then leaped into the air and wrapped his arms and legs around Neku making him go flying down to the ground landing on his head.

 

Beat then let's go of Neku to see him get up and extend out his left hand smiling as he panted out of breath. Beat then grabbed Neku's hand smiling and shook his hand.

 

"Damn yo, I didn't know you could do wrestling moves!" Beat said out of breath

 

"Yeah…funny thing is…I can't…I can only do stuff like that as Damien cause I get really strong physically as a Demon." Neku said panting.

 

"heh heh, that makes sense yo. Cause you too scrawny, an' puny, an' wimpy, an' small an….

 

Beat then gets cut off

 

"Beat…" Neku said

 

"An' weak, an' tiny, an'…

 

He then gets cut off again

 

"Beat seriously man, this isn't cool." Neku said crossing his arms

 

"Huh? Oh sorry yo, it's jus' it's true. You too small to do wrestling moves man, I mean for real yo. Do you even eat?" Beat said teasingly

 

"Hey what kinda question is that? Of course, I eat. I…well I just have certain foods I like to eat more" Neku said awkwardly scratching his head

 

 

Beat then chuckled "heh, yeah I know how much you like dem chicken nuggets yo and Shoyu ramen. I remember us eatin' the foods we like in between fightin' the Noise yo"

 

 

 

"Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a big fan of those nuggets." Neku added while scratching his head a little embarassed

 

 

He then snapped his fingers and returned to his Fledgling form.

 

"Heh heh that was so cool Neku all those flips and other moves you did." Rhyme said smiling

 

"Yeah you looked like a professional wrestler Neku." Shiki giggled

 

Eri also laughed and said that Neku looked really cool fighting causing Neku to awkwardly scratch his head.

 

Meanwhile in the Slaughter room the Higher Ups all decided that they no longer needed to wait.

 

"It's time" Aiden said darkly

 

"Yuki summon Sanae here and tell him that he is a guardian for the trail and is to report to the HP Shibuya along with the other Angels." he added

 

"Of course Aiden." Yuki replied

 

As Neku and his friends all walked around Shibuya, Neku felt an intense amount of pressure pushing him down causing his legs to tremble as he fell to his knees.

 

"Nnnngh! My…head's pounding!" Neku exclaimed as he clenched his teeth.

 

"No! Neku is it a Demon?!" Shiki cried as she and his other friends ran up to him

 

"Nngh! No…it's…it's not a Demon but…the vibe frequency's really strong." Neku said weakly

 

At that moment Neku and friends saw seven white orbs appear and become Angels, the first orb to become an Angel was Mr. H.

 

They had their vibe frequency extremely low so they could only be sensed by strong spirits and to the point that they could be in their Angel form in the HP Shibuya.

 

Neku trembling in pain manages to open one eye and look up

 

"Nngh! Mr. H?" Neku said weakly

 

He then felt the pounding in his head increase.

 

"AAAAAAAAGH!" he screamed

 

"it…it feels like…someone's crushing my head! …is…is this because I'm in my normal state? No...being around Mr. H...it doesn't hurt! His Angel energy heals me and protects me, not...hurt me." he thought

 

His friends then felt the presence too causing them to scream and fall to their knees as well.

 

Yuki, Ryu, Ryuga, and Amonae all appeared next to the Angels with their hoods up

 

Amonae then walked over to Neku.

 

"Come now Neku Sakuraba, the time has come for your trial." She said sweetly.

 

The Maestros then snapped their fingers lowering their vibe frequency enough for the pounding in Neku's head to stop. This also allowed his friends to get their feet too.

 

When Neku finally stood up, Mr. H and the other seven Angels stood next to him and shot energy into Neku's arms and back with another Angel pulling down Neku's collar and wrapped Angel energy around his neck.

 

"Neku!" Shiki screamed

 

"Whatchu doin' to Phones?!" Beat roared

 

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Rhyme cried

 

"Please! Stop! Let him go!" Eri cried

 

The Maestros simply ignored their pleas to stop hurting their friend and walked away. Ryu then opened a portal that would take Neku to the Slaughter room.

 

"You all may join the Composer's Proxy if you wish." Ryuga added

 

He then walked inside the portal along with the other Maestros, followed by the Angels and Neku.

 

His friends looked at each other confused not sure of what's going on and then ran into the portal. When they reached the other side of it they saw they were in a silver room with stands that circled the walls of the room.

 

(similar to a football stadium)

 

Amonae told them to go sit in the stands with the numerous Angels and Composers in their human form. They all sat in a certain order, from left to right it was Beat, Rhyme, Shiki and Eri.

 

"What's goin' on yo? Dis looks like we in some sorta court room!" Beat whispered to Shiki

 

"No idea…do you think Neku's in trouble for the stuff he did as a Demon?" she said guessing

 

"I dunno but I feel nervous man." Beat said concerned for Neku

 

Eri and Rhyme also added that they felt nervous for him. Rhyme also spotted Joshua who was standing next to Neku.

 

The Angels then released their energy from Neku causing him to grunt in pain. Mr. H then placed his hand on Neku's head healing him from the energy digging into his body. Mr. H then went to his guard post standing at the spot Neku's friends were sitting at. The other Angels did this as well.

 

Ryuga, Amonae, Ryu and Yuki all teleported themselves to a Judge's bench that was wide enough for all five of them

 

Once Aiden saw that everyone was there he then began to speak.

 

"The Trial of the Composer's Proxy shall now commence." he said strongly

 

"first of all, since you are new to the afterlife, allow me to welcome you here Neku Sakuraba." Aiden said darkly

 

"Are you aware of the reasons you are here for?" Aiden asked

 

"Yes...I am." Neku said hiding his face with his hands in his pockets

 

Yuki then snarled at him

 

"It's an act of disrespect to hide one's self within our presence!" she roared causing Neku to look up

 

"Thank you, Yuki. That's very true Neku. Do NOT, anger, us. It will do you well to stay on our good side. Especially since we are the Judge and Jury in this world, and everyone else in here are merely witnesses." Aiden said slyly

 

"WHAT?! But then how is this a fair trial?!" Neku roared

 

"BE SILENT!" The leader of the Maestros roared startling Neku

 

"Now then, let us continue. While this trail was originally intended to judge you on your participation as the Composer's Proxy, and whether or not you should be forgiven for technically helping Joshua nearly destroy Shibuya. Many events have occurred on top of that. You committed the crime of breaking our most sacred law. You revealed the existence of the afterlife to your mother. Do you acknowledge this?" he asked

 

"...Yes." Neku said weakly

 

"And you murdered countless Human Souls when you were consumed by Demon energy, launched an attack on the Higher Plane attempting to kill Sanae Hanekoma, as well as the Composer of Shibuya, and killed any Angel or God that was in your way during the invasion attempt. On top of that, you also nearly murdered the Human Souls that are your friends. Do you acknowledge this as well?" Aiden said darkly

 

"Yes I do." Neku replied knowing he couldn't defend himself

 

Neku's friends became enraged seeing how they were holding that against him

 

"this…this isn't fair! Neku had no control over that happening!" Shiki thought

 

"Isn't there something you can do Mr. H?" Shiki asked mentally

 

"No…I'm sorry Shiki, if I interfere, I'll be killed on the spot." Mr. H answered telepathically

 

Aiden then smiled at Neku

 

"It is because of these crimes you will face the highest punishment. Depending on the severity of a Spirit's crime, they may merely be warned by us not to commit it again, be unable to access other areas for a certain amount of time, be restricted to one duty or…for the more sinister crimes or Felonies, they may face execution, be exiled from the Higher Plane, or…will have to face the Angels' Game." Aiden explained

 

"The Angels' Game?" Neku said confused

 

"Yes little Fledgling. The Angels' Game…I'm aware that you participated in the Reapers' Game correct?" he asked

 

"yes" Neku replied

 

"well just as the Reapers' Game passes judgment on humanity, a game we made, the Angels' Game passes judgment on Spirits to see whether or not they are worthy of forgiveness. Since there are a variety of spirits in terms of their mental strength and strength of their energy, the Angels' Game is modified for each type." Aiden added

 

He then snapped his fingers causing the walls of the room to dissolve and the stands that his friends were in floated in the air. Neku saw that he was in the Enlighten district.

 

"Just like how the Reapers carry out orders from the Conductor, who carries out orders from the Composer. The Angels carry out orders from us, while also participating in the game just like the Reapers." he explained

 

Neku then sees what looks like Angels flying after Human Souls.

 

Joshua couldn't help but smile since he found out about this Game after becoming the Composer of Shibuya and ascending to the Higher Plane

 

"This is The Fledgling version of the Angels' Game. Similar to the Reapers' Game this game is also about survival however. The Fledgling version is more about relying on your original abilities, only using the energy that lies within you as a Human Soul. Should that soul have other energies like in your case, that spirit has those energies locked. The Fledglings then run for their afterlives all trying to escape the Angels. If they are caught, they are then killed at that instant meaning that they failed to survive." he said darkly

 

"We have a sun and a moon appear to represent time. If a spirit can survive not being killed by Angels for one week then they win. However there's a catch, since this game involves multiple spirits the ones that are the weakest are often times used as decoys by other more powerful Fledglings to survive, this also causes the spirits to clash in combat. Should this action arise, on top of surviving the Angels making them face Soul Obstruction, they must kill one another to see who is the strongest. Then the last one standing is the winner. Your entry fee for this kind of Game is...your right to exist." Aiden said smiling at the horror on Neku's face.

 

Everything that Aiden described to him was happening as he said it to him.

 

Aiden then explained that should a fellow Angel be forced to play the Angels' Game that they go through the same version of the Fledgling's style of the Game with the acception of it being in the Composer district where they double the amount of Angels being used to hunt and the Angel in trouble has their energy locked in their human form giving them limited access to their powers. He also added that the same goes for a Composer.

 

"But you will go through the Proxy version of the Angels' Game" Aiden said darkly

 

"The…Proxy version?" Neku repeated fearfully

 

To be continued…


	12. The Composer's Judgement

Neku then looked at the leader of the Maestros in shock. He began to feel extremely nervous and afraid of what the rules might be for him. He felt chills go down his spine and hid his hands in his pockets and his face underneath his eyes, and looked up at the Head Maestro, he was so overwhelmed with fear that he was noticeably more pale

 

"Hee hee, this is odd. Usually, Neku doesn't show fear like this…I guess he finally understands why I allowed him to have that free time and not tell him sooner and understands the potential danger he could be in." Joshua thought with his hands in his pockets

 

"The Proxy version of the Angels' Game however is unlike the other versions. This is due to how when a Composer's Proxy is in the Higher Plane and has committed an unforgivable crime, you must then face the Composer. Your powerful imagination and soul is why the Composer of Shibuya chose you to fight in his place after all. Even when your soul was within your body, you forged a three-way pact with the Composer and two other Players, combining your energy with their's making it so powerful that rays of their energies flowed around you. We all witnessed your power, monitoring you in the Reapers' Game. It is because of powerful Souls like you that we have to alter the game entirely." Aiden said smiling

 

Neku then took a deep breath and calmed down

 

"But…why? Why are you punishing me for something I didn't do?! I didn't know I was helping Joshua when I was playing the Reapers' Game! I was just trying to survive! I didn't know that me living would make him win his bet! and when I was Damien I had no control what I was doing and--

 

Neku then gets cut off by Aiden who teleports himself to Neku making him become extremely nervous and felt chills go down his spine as the Head Maestro appeared right in front of him. He then gets inches away from Neku and places his hand on the back of Neku's head and squeezed Neku's hair and kneeled down so he was face to face with Neku, with their foreheads touching, to the point Neku could feel his icy cold breath sting his face.

 

"Let this be the last time you interrupt me…or I'll skip the Angels' Game entirely and kill you." he said softly

 

He then let's go of Neku's hair and teleported back to the Judge's bench.

 

Aiden then took a deep breath and sighed

 

"Now then, to continue on what the Proxy has stated, it is true that you weren't aware of your roll in Joshua's plan, but that doesn't change the fact that you still were contributing to his plan succeeding, and while it is true you had no control Neku, that those actions you committed were without your awareness, we cannot ignore what you've done. We cannot ignore the fact that you've damaged the Higher Plane. All the Human Souls and Angels that were killed by you cannot be undone. You are to pay both for actions as the Composer's Proxy and for your crimes of committing murder, on top of revealing the afterlife...with the Proxy version of the Angels' Game." Aiden said darkly

 

"In this version of the Game, Neku Sakuraba will face judgment by the one responsible for him. The entry fee for this version is the same as the others, you must face judgment and live in order to not lose your entry fee: your right to exist." he added

 

Hearing such a thing made Beat ball up his hands into fists fighting back tears in his eyes.

 

"This…THIS AIN'T RIGHT!" Beat screamed in his head

 

"NEKU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOIN' MAN! HE WENT THROUGH SO MUCH CRAP IN THE REAPERS' GAME YO! HE WAS JUS' TRYIN' TO SURVIVE! AN' HIM KILLIN' PEOPLE AS A DEMON YO, HE COULDN'T CONTROL HIMSELF! ON TOP OF THAT, WHEN HE WAS IN THE RG, HE JUS' WANTED TO SEE HIS MOM AGAIN YO! HE WAS MISSIN' HER! I NEVER EVEN GOT TO SEE MINE ONE LAST TIME! THIS AIN'T FAIR! PHONES DON'T DESERVE THIS!"

 

Rhyme then hanged her head

 

"Neku…" she said as her eyes watered

 

She then flashed back to the time when Neku gave her some advice about losing her entry fee in the RG.

 

_He had visited Beat and Rhyme's house and was in Rhyme's room and had noticed that she looked depressed, something that was very unlike her. She was curled into a ball sitting on her bed crying._

_"Hm? Rhyme are you okay?" Neku asked concerned_

_"I…I'm fine…just please…go away." Rhyme said hurt_

_Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar_

_"Please don't push me away Rhyme…I know something's wrong…and…bottling it up, keeping that pain inside you and not letting anyone in,_ _hurts you. It's something that you guys all taught me." he said weakly_

_Rhyme then raised her head realizing he was right and said he could sit on her bed. He then asked her what was wrong and Rhyme told her that she hates how she lost her entry fee and how she'll never get it back._

_"Don't you get it? I'll never have it back! I'd have to live the rest of my life without what matters most to me! You, Beat, and Shiki all got yours_   _back! BUT MINE'S GONE!" she screamed_

_"it's like having a void I can't fill. That I'm in this sort of loop of sadness that no matter what I'll have this hollow feeling in my chest…like I'm so angry that it hurts." Rhyme said weakly_

_"Having a void you can't fill huh? Being stuck in your sadness, feeling angry to the point that it hurts…although you may not have realized it but…you kinda described how I was Rhyme. The pain you're feeling is what I felt everyday deep inside me. Feeling that the world would hurt me even if I met nice people…I felt like I couldn't trust that kindness that it could easily all be fake. That's why I pushed you away when you tried to help me and Shiki in the Game Rhyme." Neku said hanging his head_

_"R-really?" she said in shock with a tear streaming down her right cheek_

_"yeah but then my void…my sadness…my world was healed…it was fixed thanks to all of_   _you" he said smiling as he raised his head looking at her_

 

_"Beat told me that you were the one who had a million reasons to live…something tells me that your goals might've been your entry fee. But just because that's gone doesn't mean it's all over Rhyme. You're alive with your brother and family again, you live a comfortable life here and you have Shiki and I  are here for you too. Your void can be fixed too. It'll take time, but that's all you need. Dreams are built off of what we like and what our passion is, like with Shiki and her sewing. It's like what you told Beat, I know you'll find your dream one day." Neku said sweetly_

_"and when you do find that dream go for it! Seek out your passion, and enjoy the moment the best you can_ _'cause in the long run, that's all any of us can do_. _" Neku said with his hand on her shoulder_

_Rhyme then wiped her tear away and hugged Neku_

_"Neku..." she said sweetly_

_"Yeah?" Neku replied_

_"Thank you." Rhyme said weakly_

_"Don't mention it Rhyme…I'll always be there if you need  me_ _" he said smiling_

 

The flashback then ended with Rhyme crying realizing that the Angels' Game wasn't going to let that happen.

 

Aiden then continued with Neku's trial. Neku then took a deep breath and tried to calm down, causing color to return to his skin again

 

"You will now face the one who must take responsibility for the actions of his Proxy, the Composer of Shibuya." Aiden said darkly Joshua then walked closer to the Judge's Bench

 

"Yoshiya, Joshua, Kiryu. Your Proxy has committed many misdeeds. From contributing to the destruction of Shibuya, to killing people as a demon, and although you took responsibility and contributed to freeing the boy from being consumed by Demon energy, it cannot be excused that he is a criminal who, unlike Sanae, cannot be forgiven. Sanae's misdeeds, in the long run, were not only because we _allowed_ him to interfere a little with your chaotic Game, but it was to save the humans. Do you accept responsibility for the crimes he's committed?" Aiden asked

 

Neku then looked over at Joshua

 

"Yes honorable Maestro." Joshua said darkly

 

"Joshua?" Neku thought

 

"then you understand what must be done?" Aiden said sinisterly

 

"Yes I do…" Joshua answered

 

"Then in order to cleanse the Higher Plane of the Spirit who has caused so much destruction, you must kill Neku Sakuraba." the Head Maestro declared

 

Hearing the Head Maestro say such a thing made Neku feel like he stopped breathing

 

"WHAT?! JOSHUA YOU CAN'T!" Neku screamed in his head staring at Joshua

 

"Do I care about Neku?" Joshua thought

 

"I…I care about him as my Proxy, but we got to know each other in the Reapers' Game…and…then I…risked my life to save him from his Demon energy. I came to protect him from Coco and tried to stop her, even if I failed. Is he?…DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT WORD NOT NOW!" he thought urgently

 

The head Maestro then looked to the other Maestros confused finding it odd that Joshua was silent.

 

He had his hands in his back pockets looking at Neku and then back to the Maestros and then hanged his head just a little bit to think.

 

"Josh…don't" Neku thought

 

"it shouldn't be hard for me to kill him…after all I've shot him two times so…it's very easy. Is it because I've saved his life even in the beginning? When he first arrived at the Higher Plane? Or when I saved him from being shot in the head in the RG?" Joshua thought

 

"Are you having a hard time dealing with your position? Then how about a little incentive? Kill the boy and not only will your misdeeds in the Reapers' Game be forgiven, but you will have full access to the UG and RG again, and travel where ever you please. Have your limited duty to only killing humans lifted and be able to travel to the other levels of the Higher Plane as you wish, and have your Guardian's ranking returned from Fallen Angel, to Angel. Giving him back his full vibe frequency, all if you kill him." Aiden said smiling

 

Mr. H then looked at Joshua concerned

 

"How could the Head Maestro mess with him like that? And…now he's going to put my ranking of a criminal on top of Josh? This is really pushing it…if only there was something I could do…but…I can't. Despite how I'm on pretty good terms with them, the last thing I'd want is to anger them. They'll kill me on the spot if I interfere." Mr. H thought sadly

 

"Do you accept these terms?" Aiden asked

 

Joshua then raised his head and looked at Aiden.

 

"Honorable Head Maestro…I accept." Joshua said smiling

 

"Joshua!" Neku screamed

 

"Then let the Game begin." Aiden said smiling.

 

Joshua then stood back and allowed Amonae to teleport over to Neku

 

"The rules of the other versions of the Angels' Game also carry to your version Neku. In other words, you will only have available the energy of your soul." she said sweetly

 

She then placed her hand on Neku's chest and closed his eyes locking his Angel, Composer, and Demon energy away from him, causing him to feel a jolt of pain in his chest.

 

"Nngh!" he grunted as he opened his eyes

 

She then opened her eyes and smiled at him

 

"Good luck little Fledgling." she said as she teleported back to the judge's bench

 

Joshua then turned over to see Neku terrified with his irises trembling.

 

"No…Neku" Eri thought as her eyes watered

 

He then placed his hand on his chin with a curious look on his face

 

 

"How odd. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're actually worried Neku" Joshua said teasingly

 

 

 

Neku then hides his face in his collar letting his bangs cover his eyes and his hands hidden in his pockets

 

 

"it's...not the same. Back in the UG, when I fought that dragon noise, that noise was fused with Joshua's Composer energy and Shades! And He's a Reaper that's right behind Joshua, right behind a god's power! But...back then...I had them, my partners...including Joshua. If I had to fight that thing on my own, I would've been screwed, just like I am right now" he thought feeling helpless

 

 

As thoughts of being unable to defend himself flood his mind, he flashed back to when Sho unleashed the Level i Flare, the attack that instantly killed him in an attempt to kill Neku and squeezed his hair as he panicked 

 

"Dammit! This is just like when Pi-Face almost blew me up with that attack! If it wasn't for Joshua, I would've been killed! How the hell am I suppose to fight the Composer?! I…I'm not strong enough on my own! Yeah I've gone through training but…I'm in the Composer District. This is his territory, which means he gets a boost in power on top of how strong he really is! Just like when Shiki and I were Enlightens in the Enlighten district!" What the hell can I do!?" he thought knowing he could die right now

 

Joshua, amused seeing Neku squeezing his hair as he panicked chuckled and asked him a question trying to snap him out of it as prepared to attack Neku

 

 

"Hm? It's not like you to show fear like this Neku…are you really afraid of me? Hee hee" Joshua asked while pulling his hair back smiling

 

Hearing Joshua ask such a question made him snap out of it and feel angry from Joshua teasing him

 

 

"No I'm not afraid! I've been in near death situations before thanks to you! Josh you don't need to do this! You're a Composer! There's gotta be something you can do about this!" Neku cried out shaking his fist angrily

 

Joshua then placed his hands in his back pockets smiling at Neku and lets out his sinister laugh and took a quick glance at Mr. H, then back to Neku.

 

"where'd all that confidence of yours go Neku? If you were like this in my little Game, you would've died easily. Especially in Expert Mode." Joshua said with a sinister smile

 

"Dammit Josh, don't screw with me! You know this is totally different!" Neku yelled shaking his fist angrily again

 

 

"Say Neku, do you remember how you felt those headaches during your 2nd week in the Reapers' Game? Did you know that they were triggered due to you being near my presence? Hee hee I can make that effect even stronger while being here" he said slyly

 

 

Joshua then snapped his fingers allowing Neku to be affected physically by his energy.

 

 

"Nnnnnnngh!…J-Joshua!" Neku whimpered as he squeezed his hair from his head pounding as he trembled in pain

 

 

He then snapped his fingers again lowering his vibe, causing Neku to pant while squeezing his right arm, while squinting his right eye.

 

 

"He's...he's able to make me feel this weak and in pain...without even touching me?" Neku thought worried still squeezing his arm

 

 

"Hee hee, that's just a little taste of my true presence Neku, just a bit higher than what you felt in the UG…I can raise it even higher than that too. Care to see what I mean?" he says slyly

 

 

Joshua then snapped his fingers and right before his eyes, Neku stood in shock as Joshua's skin, hair and clothes dissolved into his true form. Neku then sees Joshua's Composer form stand before him. The moment they made eye contact, he then instantly screams in pain squeezing his hair and feels his body tremble and fall to the ground on his hands and knees as he lays his hands on the ground trying to stand up.

 

"it's like I'm being crushed! I can't even get off the ground!" Neku thought terrified

 

Joshua then extended his hand out and Neku making him scream even louder

 

"NO! Stop it! You're crushing him!" Rhyme yelled

 

"Joshua! Stop hurting him!" Eri screamed

 

Joshua then walked a little closer causing Neku to scream to the point of crying as his ghost "skin" began to tear revealing his white energy outlined in blue and orbs began to fly out of him

 

 

"NEKU!" Shiki screamed

 

"STOP IT!" Eri shouted

 

"Joshua YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" Rhyme cried out

 

 

"PRISSY BOY CUT IT OUT! WHAT THE HELL YOU DOING?!" Beat said furious

 

 

 

Joshua smiled and chuckled he snapped his fingers and then returned to his normal form, seeing Neku pant out of breath and collapse on the ground wheezing in pain. Joshua then snaps his fingers healing Neku's wounds and allowing him to stand up

 

 

"What you felt just now, was my true presence. The true power of my Vibe. if I had raised it any higher, you would've instantly died. The only reason I didn't, was so I could talk to you a bit more. Hee hee. I can put that much power into my attacks too." Joshua said calmly with his hands in his back pockets

 

Neku then looked at Joshua terrified and then looked down at his hands

 

"Can I... can I really do this? Is my energy enough?" Neku thought

 

He then got into his fighting stance

 

"Neku don't!" Shiki thought worried "I know you blocked Angel energy from Mr. H that one time, but he was powered down. We're just ghosts without our other forms, we're not strong enough to face a god on our own!"

 

"It's too dangerous yo!" Beat yelled

 

Joshua then laughed

 

"they're right Neku. You can't win against me, you're too fragile and weak" he said slyly

 

"Rrrgh! Shut up!" Neku roared shaking his fist

 

while in his fighting stance, Neku then placed his right hand on his head and aimed his left hand at Joshua, charging energy in his left hand. His arm then shakes as Neku feels tears build up.

 

"I...I can't. I'm not strong enough on my own. Even if I have a strong imagination...he's a god. He's...my friend" Neku thought realising how powerless he really was

 

Joshua then pulled his hair back and laughed

 

"You're right to think that way. Hee hee there's nothing you can do"

 

Joshua then snapped his fingers making Neku's energy in his left hand dissolve, making Neku gasp looking at Joshua terrified

 

"You know what Neku, I thought of something interesting...I'll even give you a chance to hit me right here" Joshua said while pointing at his jaw with his right hand only to see Neku do nothing

 

"Hm? That's odd are you sure you don't want to take this shot Neku? I mean after all, you were the one that oh…what was it that you said?…ah yes, that back when we were Partners, that you were tempted to erase me? Hee hee well now's your chance to get some payback for me killing you in Udagawa, sound's fair right?" Joshua said with an evil smile

 

But Neku was frozen with fear realizing the inevitable.

 

"This is just like when I was with the Conductor, Shades. I...I couldn't do anything. If Beat and Shiki hadn't had shown up, then I would've been screwed!" Neku screamed in his head

 

Joshua waited a few seconds and then shrugged

 

"Alright…I gave you your chance" Joshua said just beyond a whisper

 

"No hard feelings right Neku?" he said in a sarcastic tone "Besides…

 

He then held out his left hand and took a deep breath and released it slowly. The flesh of his human form then dissolved on his left hand allowing the skin to dissolve all the way to his shoulder.

 

At the blink of an eye then teleported behind Neku

 

"You've already died before." he said just beyond a whisper.

 

"Good bye…Neku Sakuraba" Joshua said softly

 

He then slashed Neku's back with his energy causing Neku to let out an agonizing scream of pain. The impact of the attack sent him flying smashing his body against the glass floor getting cuts all over his body and tearing his clothes apart. He flew at such speeds that the impact sent him then crashing into a wall on the other side of the room.

 

Neku then coughed up an orb as his body smashed against the wall making Beat and his other friends cry.

 

He then coughed up four more orbs and felt his head drop.

 

"that one attack…j-just…one…was enough…to…do this?…Could…could he have killed me…this easily in the Game? If I had gotten him angry back then...would he...have done this? was I...putting myself in danger every time I...got mad at him?" Neku thought

 

As he looked down towards the floor all he could do was listen to Joshua's footsteps get louder as he got closer to him, and stare at Joshua's white shoes

 

"Hee hee what's wrong?" Joshua asked sarcastically

 

He then raised Neku's head by steadying his shoulders so they were face to face. He then squeezed Neku's collar with his right hand and electrocuted him making Neku overwhelmed in pain to the point he cried as he screamed in agony. When the electrocution stopped, Neku was wheezing in pain, and Joshua then sees that the electrocution of the energy tore Neku's collar open, and squeezed his neck making him gasp.

 

At this point all his friends were sobbing each with their breathing becoming choppy and Shiki hugging Eri before looking back at Neku.

 

"I…I want this to stop Phones…I really do…but…I can't interfere. All the Higher Ups would have to do is snap their fingers, think about how they want me to dissolve into orbs and I'd die instantly. Despite being Angels, they can be very hostile, and have a connection that makes them so. They do what they think is right to bring peace to our world. Please, please forgive me kiddo…I…I'm so…sorry you have no idea…how much this hurts." Mr. H thought with sadness.

 

"What's wrong Neku? You want to live don't you? Then why? Why won't you fight back?" Joshua said curiously

 

 

He then sees Neku look at him with tired eyes, halfway open

 

 

"Nngh! B-Because…Nnngh! I...Nngh! I can't fight you, I know...I'm not strong enough. I know…that you're doing this for your home…to keep everyone…safe…Don't...please don't Josh…I don't want to…die. I-If this is the only way...to make sure my energy...doesn't go berserk and kill everyone then...I trust you because…you're…my friend" Neku said just beyond a whisper.

 

Hearing him say that made Joshua stare at Neku in shock

 

Joshua then couldn't help but feel sadness and feel his eyes water for a split second

 

He then had flashbacks to all the time they spent together in the UG getting to know each other

 

_"But Neku…I thought you were CAT's biggest fan? How could you not know he's CAT?" he said confused_

_"That's 'cause he never shows himself in interviews" Neku said proudly with his hand on his hip smiling_

 

He then flashed back to one of the things Neku said to him before the duel

 

_"I…I thought I finally had a friend I could relate to. But it was YOU! You killed me!"_

Joshua looks in shock for a few seconds seeing Neku smile at him before going back to wheezing in pain

 

"J-Josh…I…I don't want…to die" Neku said weakly 

 

"I know but I must protect the Higher Plane and cleanse my world." Joshua said darkly

 

Neku's friends then all looked at him in shock each one of them with their eyes locked on Neku and Joshua.

 

Joshua then extended out his left arm again turning it back into his Composer form

 

Seeing the energy so close made Neku's eyes widen and his irises tremble as Joshua began to swing his hand towards him. He then smiled at Joshua again and closed his eyes accepting his fate with a tear falling from his left cheek. But as he waited,  he tried one last time to tell Joshua to stop.

 

"Josh…" Neku said weakly

 

He then gathered all his strength to scream his name as loud as he could to try to get him to stop. To beg him to stop.

 

"JOSHUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

 

Joshua then makes his hand become like fire and swung it at Neku making him dissolve into white orbs outlined in darkblue.


	13. Sheltered

Neku's friends all looked at Joshua enraged, and filled with sadness over losing their friend. It was almost like a stab in the back, they all tried to save Neku from his Demon energy consuming him…only to have him be slaughtered by Joshua. They were all hurt and wished it was just a dream that what they had just seen wasn't real.

 

"It's done" Joshua said darkly as he looked at the Maestros

 

"Very good Joshua…now as promised you have all your restrictions lifted and Sanae Hanekoma shall have his vibe frequency increased to the Angel ranking" Aiden said smiling

 

Amonae then teleported herself down to the floor and said that Mr. H didn't need to guard the stands anymore. He then returned to his human form and walked over to her. She then placed her hand on his chest increasing his vibe frequency and congratulated him.

 

"Let it be known by the will of the head Maestro that Sanae Hanekoma has been forgiven for his crime in the Reapers' Game and is now at his original ranking once more." she said smiling

 

The Angels and Composers all went full blast and bowed to Sanae as an act of respect. Confused, Beat, Shiki, Eri and Rhyme all went to their Angel forms to so they didn't seem so out of place. They were then dismissed from the Slaughter room causing everyone to leave but Joshua and Mr. H.

 

The Maestros then all teleported themselves to the floor

 

"You realize what you did was for the best don't you?" Aiden said to Joshua

 

"Yes I do sir." Joshua said crossing his arms

 

Aiden and the other Maestros all noticed how Mr. H was glaring at them

 

Aiden notices this and looks towards him

 

"Don't tell me that you're angry over how it came to this Sanae?" Aiden asked

 

"No it's no that." Mr. H said scratching his neck

 

"it's just you know that Neku had control over his Demon energy…he was no longer a threat sir." he added

 

"Oh Sanae I think the boy really affected your sense of judgment. You need to look at the bigger picture, it's true that Neku had obtained full control over himself as a full demon but, now that the power of the original Demons still exists like with Anthony, you know as well as I do what that would've meant for the boy. Especially since this most likely means that there are other Demons like him in hiding." Aiden said sternly

 

"This was the only way to make sure the Higher Plane was safe. I didn't mean to come off as sinister as I did during the trial. But Neku Sakuraba has a strong heart and because of this will speak his mind and stand up for who he is. Seeing such defiance angered me since we hadn't seen spirits like him in a while so, I simply was frustrated with the boy. But it's alright Sanae now our world is free." he added.

 

"yes…it is free sir I just wish Neku didn't have to have gone through that." Mr. H said sadly

 

"We know you have a sense of friendship for the boy especially since he was so fond of you and looked up to you as a sort of, positive roll model, but that's part of the past now Sanae and you must move on with your afterlife." Amonae said sweetly

 

"I understand Madam." Mr. H said hanging his head

 

Mr. H and Joshua were then dismissed to the Composer District seeing Neku's friends take the long way back to the HP Shibuya, that they merely walked around the district and then opened a portal. They were taking their time to return almost like it hurt them to go back there without Neku.

 

He was surrounded by darkness there was nothing left… he couldn't feel, couldn't move, smell, taste, touch or see. All that was left was darkness.

 

"This…this is really it isn't it? Huh? I can still think…then…that means…it's really over…all I have is my mind. Is this what Erasure was like for Rhyme? Just…just thinking?" he wondered

 

Due to his friends taking the long way back, Mr. H and Joshua arrived at the HP Shibuya

 

"Good it looks like everything went according to plan" Joshua said to Mr. H

 

They both looked to the sky to see a barrier completely surrounding the city only viewable to strong spirits like Neku's friends.

 

"As long as this barrier's here they'll be safe. It's the least we can do for Neku." Mr. H said to him

 

"yeah well I guess I'm going to wait for Neku's friends to arrive so I can tell them what's going on." Joshua replied

 

"Good idea, I'll go back and monitor the HP Shibuya from our district." Mr. H added

 

"alright I'll see you soon." Joshua said smiling as his Angel friend became a ball of light and flew away.

 

Joshua then hanged his head and sighed looking towards someone in front of him with the person laying on the ground with that person's back facing him.

 

"Hee hee, it seems I chose a perfect spot to attack him since his back is so sensitive now." Joshua thought

 

Neku laid unconscious on the ground with a gaping hole in his back that went all the way down his spine, nearly tearing the entire back of his shirt off.

 

Meanwhile as Joshua monitored Neku in the Demon Realm Anthony was monitoring him too.

 

He then sighed a little disappointed

 

"what a shame I was really looking forward to Shiki's sadness remaining." he said a little annoyed

 

"Do you think the Composer and Angel somehow saved him?" Izawa asked

 

"Hmmm, there's a possibility that that's what happened or, the Proxy teleported away at the last second to look as if he had Faded." Anthony said curiously

 

"Either way the moment their little barrier breaks I'm sure it'll cause something to occur. I wonder though what purpose does that barrier serve. Other than trying to keep me out no doubt. But still I can easily torture Neku without even leaving the Demon Realm. It's time someone took a more indirect approach around here. My sister's direct approach didn't work and neither did Neku's approach when he was a Demon Lord. So I'm going to do things differently but for now let's let the little boy have his peace and fun, so then it'll make his Soul Obstruction all the more gruesome." he said smiling

 

As Joshua watched Neku he then saw a portal open with Neku's disheartened friends all walking out of the portal hanging their heads with tears slowly going down their faces.

 

When they all looked up, expecting to see a world without their fiery haired friend, they were in shock to see Joshua standing behind an unconscious Neku.

 

"N--N Neku?!" Beat screamed

 

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! PRISSY BOOOOOOOOOOY!" he roared infuriated running up to Joshua with his other friends and sister running after him

 

He then pulled Joshua by his shirt suspending him in the air while getting ready to punch him

 

"Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't pound the hell outta you!" he snarled

 

"Yeah! How…HOW COULD YOU PLAY WITH US LIKE THAT?!" Rhyme shouted crying

 

"Neku's really here." Eri said weakly

 

"Neku" Shiki whimpered while squeezing Mr. Mew

 

"Huh? Wait…is it possible to have a sense of hearing while only having my mind left? What's happening to me? I…I hear people whispering my name? Am I actually alive?…Er…dead? That I didn't lose my Soul?" Neku thought as he slowly regained consciousness

 

"Well one good reason that you shouldn't hurt me Beat is because I saved Neku…I had to make it look like I was going to kill him though. It was sort of an act you see I needed the Higher Ups to think Neku was gone." Joshua said smiling

 

"An ACT?! You think this is funny don't you?! CAUSE IT ISN'T!" Rhyme cried making everyone look at her in shock

 

"NEKU'S MY FRIEND TOO! HE WAS THERE FOR ME AND SAID TO NOT WORRY ABOUT MY ENTRY FEE BEING GONE! THAT I COULD BE HAPPY! THAT HE AND SHIKI WOUL BE THERE FOR ME! AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO GO AND SAY IT WAS ALL PRETEND!?! YOU…YOU ALMOST TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME! ONE OF MY ONLY TWO REAL FRIENDS!" Rhyme screamed

 

Beat then dropped Joshua and hugged his sister

 

"But what about me yo? Jus' cause I'm your brother don't mean I can't be ya friend too." Beat said sadly

 

"Yeah and I'm your friend too Rhyme, sure I don't really know you that well but I like being around you, and I want to be there for you too." Eri added

 

"We're all here for you Rhyme it's okay." Shiki said with a tear falling down her left cheek

 

"Rhyme?" Neku thought "She…she really cares about me that much? I've only…just…gotten to know her…I didn't realize how much I became apart of her world too…I…I can't move…I want them…to know I'm okay…for them to stop crying but…I don't feel anything."

 

As the friends all cried over how they nearly lost their friend, with the exception of Joshua, who crossed his arms and hanged his head, they all heard a certain noise.

 

"Nnngh!" Neku grunted

 

Everyone then looked at Neku in shock that he finally was awake. He then let's out little grunts of pain as it was overwhelming him just to move. He used his arms to desperately try to get up, but they were trembling beneath his weight unable to support him, causing Neku to fall to the ground landing on his face. He then raised it to see Shiki saddened to see him in so much pain.

 

"Shi…ki…" he whispered with his eyes halfway open

 

She then placed her hand on his and closed her eyes. Although it hurt him, Neku then wrapped his fingers around hers and held her hand.

 

Shiki then used her Angel energy to heal Neku of his wounds causing all the scratches, bruises and scars he had from slamming his body against the ground to be healed, she also fixed the front of Neku's funnel collar due to it being torn from Joshua electrocuting him to choke him later in the trail.

 

Eri then placed her hand on Neku's back healing the hole that went down his spine. But due to how sensitive his back is now, just her touching the hole caused him to cringe and squeeze Shiki's hand.

 

She then finally closed the hole saddened by how the hole was glowing a dark blue color as if Joshua had gone any deeper he could've gone to Neku's Soul Code. When it was completely closed Neku finally felt the pain stop and Shiki helped him get to his feet with his right arm wrapped around her shoulder using her for support.

 

"Feel any better?" Shiki asked concerned

 

"…y-yeah…Just really tired." Neku said weakly

 

"Can you stand on your own?" Shiki asked smiling at him a little

 

"Yeah I'm better now…thanks to you guys." he said smiling back

 

She then let's go of him to see him glaring at Joshua with his hand balled up into fists, he was so angry at Joshua that he felt his eyes water.

 

"Hee hee, glad to see you're okay Neku." Joshua said while pulling his hair back

 

"Shut up." Neku snarled

 

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that." Joshua said teasing him.

 

"I…I said…" Neku said as he clenched his teeth

 

He then felt his fists tremble with rage and his tears stream down his face.

 

"AGAIN!" Neku thought "This kid drives me crazy to the point he's brought me to tears! Just like when this friggin' little snot used me in his bet! When I had my trust broken again by him!"

 

"I SAID SHUT UUUUUUUUUP!" he roared

 

Neku then tackled Joshua to the ground and started punching him in the face.

 

"WHY!? WHY…DID…YOU DO THIS!?" Neku screamed as he was crying

 

"I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS! I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOOOOU! BUT YOU FRIGGIN' BASTARD! YOU…YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! AND YOU WANTED TO DO IT DIDN'T YOU?! DAMMIT JOSHUA YOU'RE A FREAK! A MONSTER! WHY THE HELL DO YOU SAVE MY LIFE OVER AND OVER JUST TO TRY TO KILL ME HUH?!" he yelled enraged

 

"WHY?!" Neku screamed slamming his fist into Joshua's face turning it to the left

 

"WHY?!" he screamed as he slammed Joshua's face to the right

 

"WHY?!" he yelled punching Joshua's face to the left again.

 

He then heard Joshua laugh at him causing him to stop

 

Joshua then snapped his fingers making Neku a dead person again and summoned a pistol in his right hand and cocked the gun. He then placed it right against Neku's bangs making him stare at Joshua terrified.

 

"Don't forget who's in charge here Neku Sakuraba! Now shut the hell up and let me explain alright?" Joshua said calmly while smiling

 

Scared of being shot in the head Neku then gets off of Joshua and backs away slowly.

 

Joshua then snapped his fingers and turned Neku back to a human Soul.

 

"Hee hee, very good Neku. Now, I'll explain you see when I swung my arm converted to Composer energy at you, I also generated energy that was the exact same color as your energy, fooling you, your friends and the Higher Ups into thinking you were about to Fade away. In actuality, that energy was a distraction. I teleported you away from the Slaughter room, the nickname of the Court room we were in and brought you here." Joshua said as he rose to his feet

 

"also when I looked at you before I attacked you and then glanced at Mr. H, I was signaling him to make the barrier around the HP Shibuya. We set the whole thing up." he said smiling with his hands in his back pockets

 

"After all we couldn't let such a powerful little spirit like you Fade like that now could we? Hee hee." Joshua said as he pulled his hair back smiling at Neku

 

Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar.

 

"I understand Mr. H helping me but…why…why did you go to that extent Joshua? Actually attempting to mess with the Higher Ups like that? You've seen people die before so…why? Why did you help me again?" Neku said weakly

 

"Well I like messing with you Neku hee hee, the Higher Plane wouldn't be as fun without you here so I can tease and annoy you. Hee hee oh and this is a special barrier too by the way. It distorts any energy that's within the barrier, in other words as long as you're in here, the Higher Ups will still think you Faded." Joshua said pulling his hair back again

 

He then let's out his sinister, creepy laugh

 

"What's wrong? If I didn't know any better I'd say you seem sad Neku." Joshua said with a curious look on his face.

 

"it's…it's just…I don't get it…You act like it's a nuisance for me to be your friend…like it's a bad thing and yet you do stuff like this, like when you went and put yourself in danger when you fought me as Damien…I…I remember it Joshua. I attacked your human form…I…I could've killed you, and yet you still fought alongside Beat, Shiki, and Rhyme to get me back…I just don't understand" Neku said hurt

 

Joshua then placed his hands in his pockets and smiled at Neku

 

"Well I guess you can say…I've grown fond of you Neku, I went and saved you for my own reasons but it is fun to mess with you." Joshua said teasingly

 

Neku then raised his head and looked at Joshua in shock

 

"Huh? You've grown fond of me? What's that's supposed to mean?" Neku said surprised

 

"hee hee Well, you could say I'm learning that I can still do my job as a Death God and interact with Human Souls. That it's not as bad as I was lead to believe." Joshua replied

 

Hearing him admit that startled everyone making them look at him in shock

 

Joshua noticing this looked at them confused

 

"Hm? You guys act as if I hated you all or something?" Joshua said curiously

 

"Well it ain't that yo, we jus' know it's hard gettin' to know you man." Beat said while clasping his shoulder sadly

 

"Yeah, we just thought that since you're a Death God that it was awkward for you to be around us or something" Rhyme added

 

"We just never thought you'd say that you like being around us." Shiki said weakly

 

"Hee hee well it is interesting seeing how human Souls interact with each other so…in a certain way you could say that's true. Hee hee." Joshua said while pulling back his hair

 

Neku then gave him his usual smug smile with his hand on his hip

 

"You still suck at giving someone a straight answer though." he said teasingly

 

Joshua then said then made a come back at Neku saying that he still sucks at controlling his temper making it easy to annoy him. This then caused Neku to scratch his head, feeling shy with how true that statement was.

 

"Heh heh I guess so, but you really know how to push someone's buttons and get them pissed, in fact you're really good at it." Neku said with his hand on his hip again.

 

Joshua then said that that's because human emotions are easy to manipulate.

 

He then dissolved into a ball of light and met with Mr. H in the Composer district to see Mr. H smiling at him

 

"what?" Joshua said sternly while crossing his arms

 

"Nothing Boss I'm just happy to see that you're finally starting to come around is all." Mr. H said scratching his neck

 

The mood then became much more serious.

 

"Mr. H you know what could happen since Neku's still here." Joshua said darkly

 

"Especially since he still has Demon energy inside him." he added

 

"Yeah…I think that's the real reason the Higher Ups wanted you to kill him, cause they know that that could happen to him. That since Anthony is as strong as the first Demons that means, he can manipulate weaker Demons kinda like the Red Skull pin's mind control…he could make Phones go back to Damien…or even try to kill him, without even leaving the Demon realm." Mr. H said darkly

 

"and if the barrier breaks…the Higher Ups will know he survived, and that means…that either they'll make him play The Angels' Game again…and probably go with the Fledgling version…or…they might try to kill him…or if they're really angry, they may punish you and me and make us play the Game too." Joshua added while crossing his arms

 

To be continued…


	14. Sheltered (Part 2)

 

Neku then thought it would be fun to hangout with his friends since he's stuck in the HP Shibuya. They all walked around the city, ate Ramen and hanged out at each other's houses. Eventually Neku showed them his favorite store to shop at other than Jupiter of the Monkey.

 

"Heh heh, here it is guys." Neku said smiling

 

"Still Diggin'? I've never been to this store before. What do they sell here Neku?" Eri said curiously

 

"Spray paint cans for graffiti and anything else hip hop related" he said with his hand on his hips with his smug smile

 

"Really? Cool, so since it's focused on hip hop do the cashiers there rap every time you go there? Like with J of M?" she said smiling

 

"No not really, and I'm glad cause the rapping they do at J of M gets kinda annoying heh heh, mainly cause they suck at it." he replied

 

Beat, Shiki, Eri and Rhyme all laughed at how Neku just tells it how it is, he just speaks his mind no matter how the sentence turns out. They were happy to see Neku smiling again. As they were about to walk into the store Neku noticed Shiki glaring at him.

 

She pressed the ridge of her glasses against her nose causing the glass of her glasses to have white streaks of light on them that overlapped her eyes.

 

"NEKUUUUU! I CAN'T STAND TO LOOK AT YOU!" she snarled

 

hearing such a bold statement from his shy and usually more gentle toned of voice friend startled Neku

 

"Huh? Shiki what's gotten into you?!" he roared in shock

 

Feeling shy, he then couldn't help but scratch his head

 

"Why does that sound familiar?" he thought filled with a sense of Deja vu

 

"It's RUINED!" Shiki cried still hiding her eyes behind the streaks of light on her glasses

 

"Huh? Shiki what's ruined?" Neku asked confused

 

 

When he turned around to look at Shiki, Eri began to giggle seeing that the back of his shirt still had a hole in it.

 

"Your shirt" she said darkly

 

"What about it?" Neku said nervously

 

"Why does this remind me of the UG?…and…how's she manipulating the streaks of light on her glasses like that? Just by pressing her fingers against the ridge of the glasses? I can't even see her eyes." Neku thought nervously

 

"Take it off." she said softly

 

"T-Take it off?! in the middle of the street?!" Neku asked alarmed

 

"TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!" she demanded making Neku look at her in shock

 

She then speed walked over to Neku with Mr. Mew walking next to her.

 

"Uh…Shiki…come on, I'll be half naked and…um do you really need to sew like this?!" Neku whimpered nervously

 

She then got closer and closer to Neku making him flash back to when she pulled down his pants in the UG. Shiki then got close enough to Neku to pull the shirt off.

 

"Come on Shiki..d-don't! not while we're out in the street like this…it'd be awkward to see a guy walking around Shibuya without a shirt." Neku pleases 

 

"Shiki? Shiki don't! don't, don't do it! Nooooooo!" he cried

 

She then pulled off his shirt making him wrap his hands around his arms in an attempt to cover up his chest. Being so slender, Eri noticed Neku had a little "V" shape going down his waist towards his lower stomach, where his shorts are, making her blush a little from staring.

 

Neku then notices this and also blushes

 

"H-Hey what're you staring at?" Neku said also blushing

 

"Uh nothing, nothing!" Eri said while waving her arms.

 

"I uh…I just saw your V shape on your waist that's all." she said bashfully

 

"my V what?" Neku said awkwardly

 

He then looked down his lower stomach to see his "V" (or Adonis belt) a muscle that develops near the abdomen and down the hip bone. 

 

"hey I see it too yo!" Beat exclaimed as he stared at Neku's Adonis belt

 

"Heh, heh, me to!" Rhyme said giggling

 

As this awkward moment increased even more, little did Neku know that he was being watched over by Mr. H and Joshua

 

"Hey Sanae, did you know that little "V" that they're referring to is also called an Adonis belt?" Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets.

 

"Yup. They say that guys and girls have that muscle when they have low body fat, being at a healthy weight and that well...the muscle becomes more defined on...muscular people…um…Joshua, this is kinda awkward to talk about." Mr. H said scratching his neck

 

"yeah I suppose so…do you have one?" Joshua asked

 

Mr. H then looked at Joshua confused

 

"Boss?" Mr. H said sheepishly

 

"Hee hee never mind" Joshua said noticing how everyone felt awkward

 

they then turned their attention back to their portal to keep an eye on Neku and the barrier.

 

He then looked up blushing even harder.

 

"wha…DON't LOOK!" Neku screamed

 

"Shiki aren't you done yet?!" he asked urgently

 

"almost" she replied

 

Shiki then sewed a bit more on the shirt until the back of it was completely fixed.

 

"aaaaaaaand it's done!" she said proudly

 

She then gave Neku back his shirt to notice everyone staring at him.

 

"why are you guys staring at him?" Shiki asked

 

"Huh?!" they all shouted

 

"Um…nothin' yo!" Beat exclaimed

 

"Y-yeah nothing special" Rhyme added

 

"yup just looking at Neku that's all" Eri added shyly

 

"oh…okay then." Shiki said as she said as she handed Neku his shirt back.

 

Neku quickly grabs his shirt and puts it back on.

 

"Why is it that I find those lines near the abs so hot?" Eri thought

 

As soon as Neku had his shirt on everyone pretended that they never looked at Neku's Adonis line and went to the store with him. He then sampled through their multiple spray paint cans and nozzles and adjusted them to the way he likes to spray paint and began to walk out of the store making Eri gasp

 

"Neku that's stealing!" she said sharply

 

He then turned towards her

 

"Hm? No it's not. The owners of this store are alive too, so the stores employees and managers are gonna be in the RG Eri. Just like how Ken Doi's restaurant is empty, remember?" Neku said with his smug smile

 

"Oh yeah that's right…heh heh, I'm still getting use to all the stores being so empty." Eri said bashfully

 

"Yeah it's kinda weird seeing a store like this, especially since they're usually packed in Shibuya. Heh heh." Neku said awkwardly

 

They all then walked out of the store and tried to find a spot in the city without graffiti for Neku to spray paint. As they walked around the city Neku noticed some american brand of shoes was selling something.

 

"Yo Phones what that sign say yo?" Beat said remarking on the sign the american store had.

 

"Hm? Oh it says by one pair of shoes and get the other pair free." Neku replied

 

"BWAAAAAAAH! You can read English yo?! What da hell man?!" Beat cried

 

"Uh, Beat…during our second semester we took that English class together remember?" Neku asked confused

 

"Yeah but I ain't good at that yo. I still struggle wid Japanese man." Beat said clasping his shoulder.

 

"Huh? But Beat…you ARE Japanese." Neku thought

 

"well…um I'm bilingual." Neku replied to him

 

Beat then just starred at Neku in shock

 

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Phones man, you my friend! And I'll always see you that way yo…but…I didn't know you was like THAT! Damn jus' when you think you know someone yo! Why didn't ya tell me?!" Beat shouted

 

When Neku made the connection he starred at Beat in shock as well, making Eri, Shiki, and Rhyme giggle at them starting at each other.

 

"What?! Beat…you really?! No…no way man it's not like that!" Neku cried

 

"Now Phones don't go denyin' who you are 'n stuff yo. It's aight…It's cool man, I ain't gonna mess wid you cause of dat." Beat said clasping his shoulder

 

"Beat knock it off! I'm not like that! I like girls okay?!…um…dammit…I speak two different languages man, that's what bilingual means." Neku replied

 

"Huh? So you ain't oh…um… sorry man." Beat said scratching his head

 

Neku then let's out a frustrated sigh with his left hand near his head and right hand on his waist

 

"it's okay man let's just go the sooner I can spray graffiti the better." he said frustrated

 

They all roamed the city and eventually found a spot for Neku to spray paint.

 

He then got the spray paint cans that he bought from Still Diggin' and looked to his left and right frantically

 

"Gotta make this fast!" he thought

 

"Huh? Neku what's wrong? You okay?" Shiki asked noticing how nervous he looked

 

"Huh? Oh…um yeah I am… it's just really hectic spray painting during the day time where cops can easily spot me." he said nervously

 

"But Neku…they're not the authority here remember? The Higher Ups are." Shiki said smiling

 

He then flashed back to the trail with Aiden squeezing his hair causing Neku to look down

 

"Um..yeah…I…I know." he said weakly hanging his head

 

She then noticed how just mentioning that name made Neku uncomfortable

 

"It's okay Neku…you're safe from them remember?" she said sweetly

 

He then let's out a sigh of relief

 

"yeah….thanks." he said looking at her with a faint smile

 

She then smiled back at Neku

 

"Don't mention it." she said sweetly

 

Neku then told his friends to give him some space since spray painting graffiti requires a lot of room.

 

They see him spray paint something that looked similar to the Ghost Cat, even its hands extended outward like like the CAT design except the cat had a microphone in his hand, claws and had messy fur. He had an x for his left eye and a star for his right eye.

 

 

 

Neku colored the cat a soft brown color and gave it a purple colored shadow behind it. He also spray painted lightning bolts for its arms and wrote Alley Cat next to the cat in bright blue letters. He then wrote the name Phones in indigo colored letters next to the cat.

 

He then added advanced details to make it look like the cat tore through the building by creating cracks with his spray paint, and added shading on the cat to make him look three dimensional.

 

 

 

When Neku was finally done he then took a step back to admire his work and smiled at his friends reaction as they all stared at his art amazed how it looked like it was jumping right at them.

 

"Wow this is amazing Neku!" Rhyme said happily

 

"Yeah it looks so real" Eri added

 

"Heh heh, this is so cool Neku, it really shows how awesome graffiti is when it's done by an actual artist." Shiki said smiling

 

"Damn Phones this is jus' amazing yo! How long you been doin' this man?" Beat said happily

 

"Heh heh, only for about two years." Neku said smiling

 

They then looked at Neku amazed

 

"two years and you're already this good?! How?!" Eri said in shock

 

"well CAT has a website Eri, it's called Ghostcatscrib.com it has tons of info on his company and CAT's own personal tips on how to be a graffiti artist. I just followed the techniques he listed and before I knew it I was even able to mimic his style heh heh." Neku said proudly with his hand on his hip smiling

 

"He also sells some of the other stuff he makes on the website too." he added

 

"Huh? I thought CAT was just a graffiti artist." Eri said shocked

 

"Not even close. CAT makes everything! From graffiti art, to cellphones, to electronics like my old headphones, and even pins. CAT doesn't make art, CAT is art!" he said happily

 

Neku then remembered all the things Mr. H did for him in the UG causing him to get a little emotional and hide his face in his funnel collar with his hands in his pockets.

 

"He… he helped me expand my world and understand that other people can do that too cause of how his art reached out to people. He…he promotes living life how you want to Eri with his slogan: Do what you want, How you want, When you want. He promotes enjoying the moment with all you've got…another sorta slogan for CAT." Neku explained

 

 

"I…I owe a lot to CAT and his graffiti. He…means a lot to me… he's always been there. Even before I had you guys…his art was always there…so…in a way, it's like CAT's always been my friend." he said weakly

 

Mr. H couldn't help but smile hearing Neku say that as he watched over him.

 

"Heh heh, I'm glad you feel that way Phones…thank you." he thought smiling

 

"Huh? But how do you know CAT's even a he?" Eri exclaimed

 

"Well, even though CAT doesn't have photos of himself and doesn't show himself in interviews, if you watch some of them, and listen to how deep the distorted voice sounds, you can tell that CAT's a guy. Even when using audio editing software, a girl's voice CAN'T go that low. So…that's sort of how you can tell. But still, there is a chance CAT isn't a guy, you never know after all, but I think CAT is." Neku said smiling

 

Eri then smiled at him

 

"I wish I could meet him, CAT sounds like an amazing guy…but since graffiti has a really bad rep I get it…I know he has to keep himself a secret so the cops don't get involved." she said cheerfully

 

"Yeah…But CAT has been accepted in Shibuya now to the point his graffiti's everywhere so I'm glad that he's got so many people backing him up." Neku added

 

"Huh? What do you mean?" Eri asked

 

"Well CAT is a company, so there's gotta be people backing up CAT whenever he does graffiti so he can't get in trouble. It's said to be about 20 people. It makes sense if you think about it. But he usually does stuff on his own, CAT doesn't rely on them too much." he said smiling

 

"Heh heh yeah it does! That's really cool Neku." Eri said happily

 

They all hanged out together a bit longer until they all eventually parted ways with Neku walking back to his house.

 

"Mr. Hanekoma" Neku thought

 

"Thanks…for always being there, both in the UG and Higher Plane…always watching over me. You…you were doing that too in the RG weren't you? Back before I entered the Game? Being…a Guardian, a protector. Watching over me and…just trying to help me enjoy the moment…and back when Joshua did those two tests to me…you were there even then weren't you? Making sure they didn't get too out of hand?…Either way…thanks…for…being my friend." he thought as he walked with his hands in his pockets

 

"You're welcome" he heard a voice say

 

"Huh? Oh yeah…he can read my mind since I don't have my mental wall anymore." Neku thought happily

 

He then went to his room and turned on his computer, it eventually loaded up his homepage. However when it did he saw a pop up (written in kanji of course) upon reading what it said Neku was startled.

 

"Fatal Error, warning your system has become unstable?" Neku read aloud

 

He then clicked okay, only to have another error pop up appear on his screen repeating the same message. His PC then began to make a loud humming noise

 

"Huh? What the hell's wrong with this thing?" Neku thought

 

"Maybe I need to delete things to make more room on my PC? clean out the Recycling bin?" he wondered aloud

 

Neku then tried to click the "okay" button for the pop up to go away, but when he clicked it, his mouse froze.

 

"Ugh great…alright I'll just unfreeze it." he thought annoyed

 

Neku then pressed the buttons, Control, Alt, and delete in that order to access the Start Task menu to delete whatever is on his computer so he can unfreeze it. But nothing happened

 

"Hm? It didn't work? But …it ALWAYS works…huh wait what's?" Neku thought

 

He then sees the pop ups go crazy causing the computer to load twenty pop ups all saying the same thing he then saw his monitor go black with numbers all randomly appearing on the screen.

 

"What the hell?! What's going on?!" Neku cried

 

He pressed the power button on the PC to turn it off but that didn't work.

 

Neku then read the numbers aloud to see if the code was maybe hinting something

 

"401-2356-8000-9000...

 

Neku then saw something that startled him

 

"Seven, twenty six, ninety-three? That's …that has to be just a coincidence." he thought

 

The computer then eventually went back to his homepage with the pop up saying something else.

 

"Error a fatal virus has been detected, click yes to remove virus…Hee hee." Neku read aloud

 

"Wha…Wait! Hee hee? Oh come ON! He's really going that low?" he wondered

 

He then saw another pop up appear

 

"7/26/93 Hee hee" Neku read aloud

 

"Ugh…Joooooooooooosh" Neku yelled

 

Joshua then teleported himself to Neku's room

 

"Yes Neku?" he said smiling

 

"what the hell were you doing to my computer?!" Neku roared shaking his fist

 

"Oh just having a little fun is all. The look on your face was priceless." Joshua said smiling

 

"that wasn't funny Josh!" Neku yelled

 

"Come on lighten up Neku. If I blew up your computer by randomly giving it fatal errors and viruses you could've easily just used your imagination to repair it hee hee." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

Neku then crossed his arms and glared at Joshua.

 

He then noticed Joshua became very serious

 

"I do however have another reason for coming here." he said crossing his arms

 

"huh? Another reason?" Neku repeated

 

"Mhm, I'm going to unlock the energy that was sealed inside you before our little fight." Joshua explained

 

"That's definitely one thing to call it." Neku said weakly hiding his face in his funnel collar.

 

"But…how are you going to do that?" he asked

 

"Simple, I'm going to use my composer energy to detect the other energies inside you. Once that's done, I'll then return them to their full power allowing you to have access to them." Joshua replied

 

He then closed his eyes and placed his hand on Neku's chest.

 

By doing this Joshua was then able to see Neku's energy and see that his Demon, Angel, and Composer energy all had gray strands of lighting around them and most of it on Neku's Demon energy.

 

Joshua then applied pressure to Neku's chest and broke the strands of lightning allowing Neku to have access to those energies again, sending a shock to his body.

 

"Nnngh! What…what was that?" Neku asked

 

Joshua then opened his eyes and lowered his hand back at his side.

 

"that shock you just felt was the energies being unlocked…now that you have access to your other energies again…there's something you need to know Neku…the Higher Ups will be able to detect you if you use a strong amount of energy…in other words…you can't use your other forms in the barrier especially your demon form Damien." Joshua said darkly

 

"huh? What makes my demon form so special?" Neku asked a little nervous

 

"that's because Anthony, having the powers of the highest ranking Demons, can manipulate weaker Demon energy and could use that to kill you. If you were a full demon when he tried this…he could easily overload you with Demon energy and increase Cedric's energy inside you, making your Soul so out of balance that…you'll Fade." Joshua said seriously

 

Neku then looked at Joshua in shock

 

"No…" he said weakly

 

"He…he can really do that?" Neku said hiding his face and hiding his hands inhis pockets

 

"Yes…but don't worry…Mr. H and I are both watching over the barrier and you for that reason so…if anything happens we'll know." Joshua replied

 

"Oh…um….good thinking Josh." Neku said trying to hide how nervous be began to feel.

 

"Hee hee I know you're nervous but don't worry just remain inside the barrier and you'll be safe." Joshua said while pulling his hair back.

 

He then told Neku he had to go and teleported back to the Composer District.


	15. Fear

When Joshua arrived at his district he and Mr. H noticed how nervous Neku felt and how his energy became a little unstable from having so many thoughts racing in his head. He laid on his bed staring at the ceiling of his bedroom.

 

"Everything will be okay…right? They're both watching the barrier and now thanks to their trick on the Higher Ups, now Mr. H has his full power back so…that means that his barrier's really strong now but…Anthony…he…he still could…NO! DON'T think like that! I'll be fine. But…what if I'm in danger again and he tries to kill me the next time we meet…I…I'd have to use my Demon form…I'm still getting use to my Composer and Angel energy plus I can take more of a beating in that form but…then I'd be making it easier for him to kill me and…

 

Neku then takes a deep breath and sighed

 

"I…I'm thinking about this way too much…I need to calm down and enjoy the moment. I'll be okay...but...what if the Higher Ups somehow find out about me being alive? If that happened, what would they do to me? Damn it just stop! I need to just need to focus on something else." he thought.

 

He then went to his computer and was glad he wasn't getting any Hee Hee messages on his computer screen. He then decided to do something CAT related to cheer himself up, by thinking this he then had the perfect idea of what to do.

 

"Heh heh, I should go watch that video again…it's been so long since I've watched that interview with CAT…Mr. Hanekoma." he thought smiling

 

He then typed up the title of the video

 

_the mystery of CAT documentary_

It was a documentary that had Mr. H explain why he wanted to start CAT and other things as well. Neku loved how Mr. H's face and the rest of his upper body had a shadow casted over it, wearing a dark gray hoodie, his voice being distorted to a low pitch, and how his identity was so secretive, that he only showed his hands in the interviews and never showed where his base was.

 

"Hm? How come I didn't notice that before?" Neku thought remarking on a mask of a black cat in a glass case. In the room Mr. H was in

 

"Heh heh it looks kinda like the Ghost Cat" he thought

 

_The interviewer then asked why he wanted to start CAT_

_"Well I really wanted to get a message across, and then I thought about trying to get that message to reach people any way possible you see. Eventually, it led me to creating my own designs on common things like cellphones and pins, but it originally started with my graffiti." the distorted Mr. H explained_

 

Hearing Mr. H say that made him smile

 

Mr. H then explained in the interview that he loves the freedom and creativity that comes with art and wanted to express his message through his art believing that would be the best way to get his message across but also pointed out, that he started out like any graffiti artist, and started out small.

 

Neku's eyes were glued to the screen as he saw Mr. H show the interviewer to his first version of the Ghost Cat in some part of Shibuya, Mr. H also remarked how back then it was just known as The Cat.

 

It was less detailed then the iconic Ghost Cat, but still had some of its features. The hands were spray painted the same way but instead of having bright red arms like the final version, it had little thin black sticks for arms and was just a basic outline with the name Cat next to the logo.

 

" _heh, back then I was in a hurry, the Ghost Cat, or The Cat as it was originally called, was just a little doodle really. And like any graffiti artist, back in those days, I had to avoid being spotted by the police. This is why I would mainly do my graffiti at night." Mr. H said proudly_

 

The interview was then held back at his alternate studio which he had specifically for interviews, that way no one knew where it really was. For the identity of CAT to remain secret, he would go to the interviewer's studio rather then letting them go to his and brought a few of his things.

 

Mr. H then explained his CAT mask.

 

_"you see as CAT grew in popularity by me covering all types of media, I knew that this meant that I had more freedom. So it's because of this I started spray painting out in public, and that's when I'd wear my mask as a sort of way of letting Japan know, that I'm okay with doing graffiti in public thanks to the positive response my art has received here." Mr. H explained_

_"it's tricky though having to spray paint with a mask_ on. _" he added laughing a little_

As the interview continued Mr. H then also explained how he covered other forms of media like with his pins, under the brand name Gattito. Eventually, the video continued with the interviewer asking why did CAT choose graffiti of all things.

 

_"Graffiti was becoming more and more popular, it spread from its birthplace in America and all the way around the world until it eventually reached Japan. Kids loved it, teens loved it, it seemed almost everyone loved graffiti. So it's because of this that that's when I had the idea of spreading my message through this art style." he said happily_

"and what would that message be?" the interviewer asked

 

_"to **Enjoy the Moment More** …and become united, to **Gather** at places that people like to be at and spread their creativity with one another. To create a brighter future through imagination. In other words…I guess I just want people to be happy." Mr. H chuckled_

Hearing the command codes in the interview sent chills down Neku's spine

 

"Whoa…even in this interview…you tried to help people increase their imagination and expand their world? Heh heh, you always look out for people huh CAT? I'm glad that the imprints are working cause so many people like CAT now thanks to you imprinting for so long Mr. Hanekoma. I…I'm glad you found a way to help the RG with your imprints." Neku thought smiling.

 

 as the CAT documentary continued it even showed some his merchandise during their early phases

 

"Man…I wish I got to see the earlier versions of your merch in person, it'd be so rad! I wish we could hang out and spray graffiti together and just show our techniques together and--

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed while pausing the video

 

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Neku said aloud.

 

"Heh heh…that would still be so rad if I got to do that with him." Neku mumbled

 

He then unpaused the video and watched the rest of the documentary where he showed his first ever designs for pins and cellphones.

 

The documentary ended with the interviewer eventually quoting CAT

 

_"Although we may never know who CAT is, it's loud and clear that he's on a mission to make all of Japan happy with one another by reminding all of us to Enjoy every moment with all you've got."_

 

Neku then got out of his computer chair smiling

 

"That's right…Enjoy every moment with all you've got. Focus on the now…I'll be okay." he thought happily

 

A troubling thought then raced to his head

 

_"Just remember, I'll be watching you."_

 

He then saw the image of Anthony smiling at him causing him to squeeze his hair

 

"NO! don't think about that! I'll be okay! I WILL BE OKAY! Nothing's gonna happen to me!" Neku screamed out loud

 

He then took a deep breath and sighed and lets go of his hair as he hanged his head

 

"CAT…he's…he's a Guardian…always looking out for me…always protecting me…I…I'll be okay." Neku said weakly trying to reassure himself.

 

He then walked around his house and decided to watch some TV in his living room.

 

"I should try to find something that'll distract me." he thought

 

He then decided to leave his house and walk around Shibuya, eventually reaching the Hachiko Statue, which made him think of his friends, making him smile and then went back to his house and entered his room and played Game Over on his computer listing to it as he closed his eyes and bobbed his head to the beat

 

As Mr. H and Joshua watched over him they noticed that his energy was becoming more stable, but they also noticed how his first encounter with Anthony was still bothering him.

 

"Hmmm you know Mr. H I think I should monitor Neku closely he's desperately trying to distract himself and we know that that will only last so long." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

Mr. H then looked at Joshua a little shocked

 

"Heh heh, well this is kinda odd coming from you boss." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Hee hee I suppose so, but it's like what I told him Mr. H, I've grown fond of Neku. it's fun to tease him and watch him get angry since human emotions are so easy to manipulate, so I'm just going to monitor Neku that's all." Joshua said sternly

 

"heh whatever you say Josh." Mr. H said scratching his neck.

 

Joshua then became a white ball of energy and flew over towards the HP Shibuya, unaware that Anthony was also watching.

 

"Hmmm, I could try to break the barrier now and kill Neku…But I would have to do that in front of Shiki so she knows the pain that I felt when I lost my sister." he thought with a crooked smile

 

"What do you want to do sir?" Izawa asked

 

"Simple, I'll allow Neku to have some more peace and when the time is right, I'll attempt to kill him, without even leaving my chair…if that doesn't work…I'll make this…more personal and pay him a little visit." Anthony said darkly

 

After Neku was done listening to the song he then got out of his chair and was about to leave his room when he saw a white ball of light found its way to his room and became Joshua startling Neku.

 

"Huh? Joshua what're you doing here? I thought you were keeping an eye on the barrier." Neku said urgently

 

"Hee hee well I wanted to also monitor you Neku." he answered

 

"Huh? What for? Neku said curiously

 

"You're energy's a bit unstable." Joshua replied

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"Oh…well then I guess it is a good idea for you to be here." Neku said weakly

 

"Hee hee don't be so concerned Neku, it makes you look like you don't trust my abilities." Joshua said while pulling back his hair

 

"Believe me…I'm perfectly aware of what you can do." Neku said darkly

 

He then raised his head and asked Joshua a question

 

"So is there something you want to do?" he asked

 

"Well I noticed you were listening to music just now" Joshua said curiously

 

"yeah" Neku replied

 

"well then mind if I join?" Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

"Um…no I don't Josh" Neku replied

 

Joshua then sat on Neku's bed and Neku sat back in his computer chair and typed in the next song he wanted to listen to, being Junk Garage

 

"Nice choice Neku. I can see your foot tapping to the beat" Joshua said smugly

 

"Huh? Oh yeah…well that's 'cause I've always had a natural sense of rhythm, so I can tap random beats and beats on lap or tap my foot to the beat at anytime…" Neku added as he looked at Joshua

 

"Oh really?" Joshua said intrigued

 

"yeah I've been able to that for as long as l can remember Heh heh." Neku said smiling

 

"Hee hee well I must say that does sound really interesting. It's nice to see that a strong amount of creativity and imagination has always been apart of you Neku. Hee hee in fact that may be one of the reasons you have such a strong imagination." Joshua said smiling

 

"R-Really?" Neku said in shock

 

"Mhm, it seems in addition to Mr. H's Imprinting, you also have your love of music and art to thank for having such a powerful Soul Neku. Music and Art are one of the easiest ways to tap into your imagination and creativity so, it's because of this that your imagination is so strong Neku." Joshua replied

 

Neku then looked at him amazed

 

"My imagination is that strong because of me liking them so much?" he said astonished

 

"Yup although it hadn't reached its full potential until the end of my Game of course." Joshua added amused by Neku's shock

 

"Yeah…so…um…are you gonna hangout a little longer or? Cause I'm fine either way." Neku said scratching his head

 

"Hee hee well actually I'm going to go back and monitor the barrier." Joshua replied

 

"Oh…alright…I'll see you later then." Neku said smiling a little

 

"Joshua…you…you're finally accepting me as a friend aren't you?" Neku thought happily

 

Joshua then teleported away from him and left Neku in his room.

 

He then started walking back to his bed, just to lay there and relax, but the moment he sat back down he felt his head pounding.

 

"Nngh! What's…going on? Why? Why… do I feel this?" Neku thought while squeezing his hair.

 

He then felt his body begin to burn as if he had a full body sunburn and saw his right arm let go of his hair causing him to open his eyes and gasp out of shock.

 

"What?! I…I can't control my arm!" Neku screamed

 

Anthony then twisted Neku's arm and placed it behind his back.

 

As Anthony was controlling Neku's arm, he then snapped his fingers setting up a sound proof barrier around Neku's room.

 

Neku then felt his back begin to burn causing him to squint in and whimper in pain as the burning increased. It then reached a certain point where Anthony was using Neku's Demon energy to burn a hole through Neku's shirt and eventually try to make a hole in his back.

 

"No! I…I don't want this to happen! I want this to stop! Make it stop!" Neku yelled trying to activate his imagination

 

The burning then increased more and more as Anthony made Neku dig a hole into his back causing his energy to leak out of him, the burning then came to a focused point, like as if a needle was going into his back. As the "needle" went deeper and deeper Neku's mind began to shut down causing him to flashback to the RG and see his parents again.

 

"Huh? Mom?…wait you...really missed me? where…where have you been?" Neku said weakly

 

As this was happening Mr. H and Joshua felt Neku's energy getting weaker, but since they couldn't sense Anthony they had no idea what was making his energy fall apart which made Neku scream in pain.

 

Neku was then surrounded by his energy and watched it break apart making it surge like lightning.

 

His energy leaked out more and more causing orbs to come out of his back but not the size of bowling balls, Anthony needed more time to make that happen.

 

"Nngh! M-mom…Dad…Do you still get annoyed by me? I…I feel so tired." he said as if they were right in front of him.

 

Anthony then began to manipulate his memories of his family

 

"It's okay sweety just go to sleep Neku" his mom said sweetly

 

"Although I'm usually against this since I don't want you to get lazy, your mother's right Neku, you look really tired. I think you should take a nap son. Just let everything go." his dad said smiling

 

"Just…just let…everything…go." Neku whispered closing his eyes

 

At that moment Mr. H had seen enough, he then teleported himself over to Neku's room but when he tried to go inside, the sound proof barrier also blocked any form of energy from getting inside.

 

As Mr. H ran towards the door he was then knocked back by the barrier. Hearing the loud thump of him crashing to the ground Shiki then opened her door and spotted Mr. H.

 

"Mr. H!" Shiki cried

 

"What's wrong?! Are you okay?!" she said urgently

 

Mr. H then picked himself off of the ground

 

"I'm fine, the one we need to worry about is Phones! I'm not sure what's going on but his energy's getting weaker at an alarmingly fast rate…Shiki…if this keeps up-

 

"What?! No! then we need to help him!" Shiki yelled

 

"we need to break through that barrier! That's what sent me flying back" Mr. H said pointing to the barrier around Neku's room.

 

They both then had an idea, Shiki fused with Mr. Mews Panther form, and Mr. H summoned Angel energy in his hands.

 

Neku then felt his back tear open as orbs the size of bowling balls were coming out of his back.

 

"Everything's getting dark? But…but why? I…I feel really cold" Neku thought.

 

"What's happening…to me?" he said weakly

 

At that moment Shiki was slashing Neku's bedroom door and Mr. H was shooting energy at the barrier. She slashed more and more until she came crashing through the door and Mr. H's energy blew it up, causing the barrier to break. They both then ran over to Neku who collapsed on the bed.

 

"No…Neku" Shiki whimpered

 

"It's okay Shiki we just need to heal him" Mr. H said reassuringly

 

Due to how such a massive amount of energy had leaked out of him, Mr. H had to spend what felt like hours healing Neku's back until all of his energy was back in his body, Shiki then fixed the hole in his shirt and allowed him to rest.

 

They both decided to stay in his room and look after him just incase anything else happened. As they both watched over Neku, Anthony was disappointed that he didn't get to kill him but was pleased with how he weakened the barrier just by using his energy to block everyone away from Neku.

 

"Well this turned out to be a good thing after all, who knows at this rate I'll be able to kill him before the Higher Ups get to do anything to him." Anthony said slyly

 

"It's certainly seems that way doesn't it? But we still can't rule them out as a possibility. let's say they do find him and they make him play the Angels' Game once again, and that he survives it. What will you do then?" Izawa asked curiously

 

"Simple…I'll take a much more aggressive approach and kill him up close and personal. You know depending on how this all turns out, I might even make Neku's strong friend face the RG version of Soul Obstruction, and use that strength against Neku." Anthony said smiling

 

The Watchman then smiled happy that no matter what happens Neku would suffer.

 

Izawa then smiled at Anthony and told him one of his wishes 

 

"I believe your idea of RG Soul Obstruction is a marvelous idea. That boy, the one who believes he is strong, is a fool. I look forward to him realizing how weak he is against us. Personally, I would like to kill him myself should it come to that."

 

As they discussed their plans, Akemi and Hikaru appeared to him and said they were able to serve him and do whatever he wished. He then told them that he was grateful and would like them to serve him food. the servants then gave him grapes and apples as he smiled, confident in his plan.

 

To be continued…


	16. Fear (Part 2)

 

 

Neku slowly opened his eyes to see Mr. H and Shiki watching him, unsure of what just happened due to him feeling disoriented. His head felt heavy and because of this he couldn't move. He was however, able to turn it so he could face them.

 

"Guys…Nngh! Why are you here?…did…did something happen?" Neku said weakly

 

"NEKU!" Shiki cried

 

She then ran up to his bed with her eyes watering. With Mr. H following her

 

"I'm so glad you're safe!" she said as her voice began to get shaky

 

Neku then tried to get up but felt too fatigued to do so causing his arms to tremble. Shiki then notices this and helped him get his strength back with her Angel energy.

 

"thanks" he said in a groggy tone

 

"Don't mention it" she said smiling a little

 

"You sure you're okay Phones?" Mr. H said concerned

 

"Yeah…what happened to me?" Neku said curiously sitting up on his bed

 

"I remember losing control over my arm, then I…I felt a strong pain in my back and the next thing I knew…I saw my mom and dad again." he said weakly

 

"It was happening again wasn't it?" Neku said hanging his head

 

"yeah…Anthony was manipulating the demon energy inside you Phones." Mr. H said sadly

 

Hearing him say that then caused Neku's eyes to widen from shock and look up at him

 

"No! But…I thought the barrier was suppose to keep me safe! Why…why didn't it work?!" Neku shrieked

 

"Cause he was attacking you from the inside, the barrier I made prevents anyone from going to the HP Shibuya for that sole purpose to keep him away from you…but now…since he snuck in some of his energy, it then weakened mine, making the barrier weaker." Mr. H explained

 

"Wait back up! Anthony had a barrier too?" Neku cried urgently

 

"Yeah he set one up so no one could get to your room." Mr. H said darkly

 

"And…I guess that on top of that it was sound proof cause I never heard you screaming in pain or anything." Shiki said weakly while squeezing Mr. Mew

 

"None of us did, but I sensed how weak your energy was becoming Phones. You really scare me ya know. You're energy was getting weaker and weaker to the point I could barley even detect you anymore. But…luckily I did." Mr. H said sternly

 

"I'll add more layers to the barrier to prevent this from happening again. I'll make it as difficult as possible for him to break through. I'll put so much energy into it that even if he lowers his vibe frequency he won't be able to get in Phones. I promise. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe." he added sitting on the bed with him

 

Neku then hanged his head and fought the tears building in his eyes

 

"But…Mr. H…He…he's stronger than the Composer ranking, he's stronger than you…the only form of energy that could kill him is the Ultimate God, the most powerful form of energy in all of existence I'd have to achieve God status. No matter what you do…I…I'm not safe!" Neku screamed angrily

 

Since Neku's mind was still a little damaged he didn't feel one hundred percent like himself again, causing him to have the same painful thoughts he did in the apocalyptic Shibuya.

 

"Maybe I…I should face Soul Obstruction…it'd be easier than going through this." Neku said weakly

 

Shiki and Mr. H then looked at him in shock

 

"WHAT?! NEKU HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" Shiki screamed

 

"Cause…it's easier this way…it's…it's better this way." Neku said sadly

 

He then generated energy in his right hand and allowed it to surge like lightning to blast his chest with energy.

 

"I…I should put them first…right? I shouldn't only think about myself…I need to be more considerate…of them. They probably hate having to live their afterlives protecting me anyway. Heh, I…I'm just…an annoyance." Neku thought

 

Neku then closed his eyes and brought his right hand towards his chest, only to feel someone hold his hand, and feel someone else place their hand on his shoulder.

 

Neku then opened his eyes to look to his right to see Shiki holding his hand and Mr. H to his left with his hand on Neku's shoulder.

 

"Please…please…don't do this Neku." Shiki said weakly

 

"How could you do that to yourself Phones? Don't you realize what that would've done to us? If you had shot yourself with energy just now? How could you Phones?" Mr. H said sadly

 

The energy on Neku's hand then faded away

 

"it's simple…you'd have all eternity to get over it. You'd be safe Mr. H, and so would Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, and Eri. You all could finally be happy and…and free if I was gone." Neku replied

 

"It'd be hard at first, but then everyone would be so much better off. …there's no need for me to exist anymore. At this rate…I won't even be able to wait for my parents to come here cause…by then I'd be gone…Anthony would've killed me. You guys are only delaying the inevitable. I'm not safe…even with your help Mr. H. I've tried to be strong like you, I've tried to enjoy the moment like you want me to…but I…I can't…not anymore. You're all better off without me. My life isn't worth this. My life, just me existing, brings nothing but trouble here. I'm not worth it. Plus Shiki would be able to hang out with Eri and go shopping and stuff…it'd be as if, she never met me." he added darkly

 

Hearing Neku say such a thing made Shiki speechless.

 

"No! Neku!…How…why are you saying this?! Why are you giving up like this?!" Shiki screamed in her head

 

"it'll all be easier…if you just let me go guys, just…just leave me like everyone else. Just let me go, and then everything will be okay." Neku said hanging his head

 

Hearing Neku give up like this hurt them both so deeply. Mr. H wanted to cheer Neku up, but his mind was so broken that he wasn't sure if he even could.

 

"Neku…do you even understand how that would be WORSE in the Higher Plane?" Mr. H said sternly

 

"In the RG when someone loses a loved one, like a family member or friend, they have time to help them heal. But in the Higher Plane since time doesn't exist in the afterlife, regardless of what realm you live in, that pain would stay with us forever! We wouldn't be able to cope. Don't you see what that would do to us?" he said sadly

 

Neku then turned his head to look at Mr. H

 

"Please don't throw everything away Phones! Please don't do that to your friends! It would hurt us more than you'd ever know! And it especially hurts Angels when we see someone survive the Reapers' Game, knowing that they expanded their imagination for NOTHING! That it was all wasted! Please Phones, don't go that way!" Mr. H pleaded

 

Neku then got up from his bed

 

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." he said with tears streaming down his face

 

Shiki then hanged her head and started to cry

 

"Please don't! Don't do it!" She screamed in her head

 

"Neku Please STOP! You need to stop this! Stop acting this way! This isn't the person I know! The Neku I know wouldn't give up like this! Please stop! We'll figure something out! And you're WRONG! Your life is worth it! That's why we want to help you! YOUR LIFE HAS VALUE! YOU ARE WORTH IT! YOUR LIFE ISN'T NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! You don't need to throw everything away!" Shiki screamed

 

Neku slightly turned his head to look at her and then walked away leaving his room, causing Mr. H and Shiki to look at him in shock devastated over how far gone he is.

 

Neku then walked down the stairs and was about to leave his house to plan on what to do with his afterlife.

 

"It'll all be over soon I...I just need to get away from them. They're just saying those things for me to stay with them. They're my friends after all, so they just want me to be happy but… that's something that I can't be anymore.I understand what my fate is now, being a soul with a strong imagination means, I'd have live like this for all eternity…and that's not living. Soon, I won't feel pain, or sadness ever again…I won't feel anything ever again." Neku thought feeling defeated

 

He then placed his hand on the doorknob ready to leave his house and never return.

 

"Goodbye…everyone." Neku whispered

 

He was then startled to feel someone tap his back he turned around to a heartbroken Shiki who then wrapped his arms around him hugging him. He was so startled that Neku was in his usual shocked pose. At that moment Mr. H then teleported to the first floor of the house where Neku and Shiki were. Neku then wrapped his arms around Shiki hugging her back.

 

"Why? Why didn't you just…leave me?" Neku said weakly

 

"I'm not gonna abandon you Neku, I promise." Shiki said sweetly

 

She then focused her Angel energy on Neku, and focused on how she wants her friend back. Sure enough, just like how her energy healed Eri's broken mind, she managed to do the same to Neku.

 

"Heh heh, that girl's really something else. The fact that she can heal a mind as broken as the way his was just moments ago is extremely difficult especially when they don't want to be helped, that they've given up, like the way Neku was." Mr. H impressed by Shiki

 

As they both glowed with Angel energy (just the basic amount used for healing) Neku and Shiki smiled as they both started to be happy again and held each other tightly

 

"thank you." Neku whispered

 

"You're welcome" Shiki said softly

 

The white energy then went back into their bodies and they let go of their embrace.

 

Mr. H asked of Neku was okay and he insisted that he was thanks to them being there for him. Mr. H smiled happy that his mind was repaired and told him to get out of the house to just roam the streets a bit. Neku smiled and agreed that the fresh air would do him some good. Mr. H also added that he would go and add the extra layers to the barrier to keep Neku safe. He then thanked his guardian friend for always being there for him, and got patted on the head by Mr. H.

 

Neku and Shiki then left the house with Mr. H returning to the Composer district to focus his power.

 

When he arrived he told Joshua his plan to add more layers to the barrier, however he was very careful of what to say to Joshua just incase the Maestros were listening.

 

"Josh you know since the first Demons are still technically around that they could easily attack the Fledgling district to attack all those human Souls." he said sternly

 

"Of course I do so what do you want to do to keep them safe?" Joshua said keeping up the charade

 

"I'm going to add more layers to the barrier just incase a Demon tries to get in, that way it'll be harder for them to the HP Shibuya." Mr. H added

 

Joshua then smiled and said it was a good idea. Mr. H then focused his energy and created seven extra barriers on top of the one he already had set up.

 

Neku and Shiki noticed it and smiled at each other happy that he was now safe. As they walked around the city Neku saw Beat, Rhyme and Eri all urn up to him. Since they've all become extremely powerful as Angels they all felt how weak Neku's energy was a few moments ago.

 

"Neku! Are you okay?!" Eri cried as she ran up to him

 

"Yeah man, we all sensed how weak you're energy got yo! What happened Phones?!" Beat shouted

 

"We were so worried!" Rhyme added

 

They eventually all ran up to Neku with each one of them shouting their concerns at him, afraid that Neku was hurt. He reassured them that he was okay and that Shiki and Mr. H helped him feel better

 

"But still…the fact that he was still able to reach inside of my Demon energy…is…a scary thought. This…this has to work! I know it will! I trust Mr. H…just focus on enjoying the moment." Neku thought

 

His friends then all exclaimed how happy they were that he was okay.

 

"Plus now that you're here we can do something fun!" Eri said happily trying to hide her intentions

 

Neku catching on to her eagerness placed his hand on his hip smiling

 

"Oh really? And what would that fun thing be?" he said teasingly

 

Shiki then walked next to Eri and also smiled, they then looked at each other and back to Neku.

 

"Shopiiiiiiing!" they exclaimed happily

 

Neku then looked at them confused

 

"Shoping? Wait how's that fun? Huh…Wait what're you--

 

Shiki then grabbed Neku's arm and started running to the 104 building with Eri following her. Beat and Rhym then chuckled at each other and ran after Shiki and Eri.

 

When they arrived at the 104 building Neku sort of became a guinea pig as Eri and Shiki would go get different clothes for him to try on. Although he did feel a little awkward and couldn't help but remember the Prince's insult towards him, how he said that Neku's clothes was like dressing up youth poorly like Neku was a spicy tuna roll. But regardless of that he was happy that he was with his friends again.

 

As Neku hanged out with his friends the Higher Ups were having yet another conversation. They removed their hoods from one another and discussed the Angels' Game.

 

"Amonae do you remember how the Game was originally?" Aiden asked

 

"Why of course, originally the Game took place in another dimension instead of the Enlighten district. Why do you ask?" Amonae said curiously

 

"Well I was thinking of changing it back to that dimension, after all the Game is suppose to be about survival and it seems rather unfair to then put them in a location that they know about. It sort of defeats the purpose of the Game." he replied

 

They all then discussed whether or not to have the Angels' Game take place in the Blank Void, a dimension only used for the Angels' Game and is completely uninhabited with the acception of other spirits sent their to participate in the Game. They all came to an agreement that it would be best for them to make the Angels' Game take place in that realm once more. To help teach the spirits participating in it how to survive on their own and rely on their power, in order to be forgiven by them.

 

As Neku hanged out with his friends again Anthony planned to eventually try to break the barriers so he can finally kill Neku.

 

"I need to be selective of when I attempt to kill him though, I want his little friend Shiki to watch him die." he thought while smiling

 

"the next time Neku sees me…I'll beat him to death. But first, I'll have to work on weakening the barrier." Anthony said to Izawa smiling

 

To be continued...


	17. Fear (Part 3)

As Neku hanged out with his friends Shiki and Eri smiled as he was their guinea pig trying on multiple styles of clothes. From Punk, to Goth, to even athletic clothes, they tried everything on their fiery haired friend. Eventually they even had Neku try different sunglasses on. It was all so awkward for him since he usually just goes to Jupiter of the Monkey when he wants to get something. Especially since J of M is known for working with CAT on making a few shared products. Eventually the friends all left the store in the 104 building and continued their guinea pig tests on Neku at Eri's house.

 

The two fashion loving teens then went and put their sense of style to the ultimate test: taming Neku's wild, messy and very thick hair. Eri stared at the back of Neku's spiky hair very intensely trying to analyze what she could do with it.

 

"Geez does Neku ever brush his hair? It's so messy and choppy looking. On top of that his hair is very long in the back but since it's going almost straight up, it's gonna be hard to style it." Eri thought

 

Neku picking up on her thoughts then felt a little nervous as she was standing behind him

 

"Um…Eri? What are you planning?" Neku said nervously

 

Beat and Rhyme smiled at each other as they watched the situation unfold.

 

"Oh nothing Neku, I'm just gonna cut it." she replied

 

Neku then immediately spun around

 

"Huh? C-Cut it? Heh, screw that! No one messes with my hair, I like it being natural. It's easier to manage this way. Besides, what's the point in cutting it when it's obviously gonna grow again?" Neku said crossing his arms

 

Eri then shook her head and sighed

 

"that's such a guy answer Neku! Hair is apart of your body, and just like with finger nails, hair grows too. In other words a haircut is just keeping the hair in line so to speak, like how people in suburban towns have to mow their lawns. Although it is fun to mess with it and style it, it's really just to keep the hair in check Neku." Eri said smiling

 

"Yeah she's right Neku. Heh heh, that's why I keep my hair short, cause I find it easier to manage this way." Shiki added smiling

 

Although it took some persuasion, Neku thought that this would be another way of expanding his world, by trying something new. So although a little hesitant Neku allowed Shiki to cut his hair and Eri to stylize it. To Neku's surprise Shiki was very precise with each cut, treating the situation as if she was sewing a certain part of a shirt.

 

They didn't want to startle him so all they did was reduce Neku's hair length by a few inches.

 

Shiki then gave Neku a mirror to look at his hair cut.

 

"Heh heh, not bad." Neku said smiling

 

He then looked at Eri with his smug smile and his hand on his hip

 

Eri then crossed her arms and sighed

 

"You want it back the way it was don't you?" she said teasingly

 

"well yeah, heh heh. You have your style and I have mine, we're individuals after all. So I like my hair the way it is and I'm not gonna change it." he said crossing his arms

 

"But…" Neku said smiling

 

"I understand now that yeah, it's more of a girl thing for them to care about how their hair looks but, it's…just about looking the way you wanna look, being who you wanna be. That…that's what fashion and all that girly stuff really is when you look past all the mainstream crap isn't it?" he said sweetly

 

Beat then couldn't help but feel a little emotional seeing Neku expand his world

 

"Aw come on man, you ain't gotta think so deeply 'bout everything do ya?! Dat….dat was…so….deep man." Beat said with his eyes watering

 

Neku then scratched his head awkwardly

 

"Huh? Well….I um I was just saying how I feel Beat." he said a little bashfully

 

This then caused Shiki to giggle and say that that's a good thing and that she's happy that Neku feels that free around them to talk like that. He then smiled back and said that he was glad too.

 

Before they left Eri's house Neku then did his usual pose for concentrating and grew his hair back with Shiki staying behind to make a comment while everyone else waited for them outside.

 

"heh heh you're so stubborn Neku" Shiki said smiling remarking on what he just did

 

"Heh, I guess so cause…if I wasn't then…I could've easily given up who I am. I think the fact that I refused to let anyone in back then, that I didn't want anyone's advice was because I thought that it would change me. So I refused to take anyone's advice but CAT's. so…I guess that did kinda make me stubborn." Neku admitted scratching his head

 

They both laughed and then walked out of the house to see that Beat wanted to show Neku how to skateboard

 

"Huh? But Beat, during one of our fusions we were surfing…so…aren't they kind of the same?" Neku said confused

 

"well I guess so man, but with the exception of skate boardin' dealin' with gravity yo." Beat said smiling

 

Beat then summoned his skateboard and tried to see if Neku could balance on it, something that surprisingly came easy o him. He could stand on it no problem, but when it came to him actually moving on the skateboard he was extremely off balance causing him to fall a lot. Luckily since he's a ghost Neku didn't hurt himself as severely as he would've in the RG, such as breaking his bones from smashing to the ground with such impact, a common dilemma skateboarders deal with.

 

As he practiced Neku eventually got better and was able to do, kickflips, ollies, and other skateboarding tricks. Eventually, as Neku spent more time with his friends Rhyme also wanted to do something fun with Neku, she wanted to learn how to spray paint graffiti, something that made Neku very happy.

 

He taught her the basics and reminded her that graffiti is all about speed, so if she messed up, he said not to worry about it and go and fix the mistake later.

 

Everyone was smiling and filled with happiness that they had this peace again. Something that they all missed dearly especially Neku. However as he spent time with them he was unfortunately unaware of Anthony watching over him, how he was stalking his weak little prey preparing to kill him.

 

As Anthony smiled from seeing how at peace Neku was he then decided that now would be the time to push him a little bit. To mess with his head and frighten Neku before destroying the barrier and teleported himself right outside of it.

 

Neku and his friends all walked around the city and eventually wandered into Miyashita park. As they walked around it, Neku noticed someone watching him, as one of the trains that go near the park went by, the man he then disappeared. Seeing how familiar the man was made Neku looked shocked.

 

"Neku are you okay?" Rhyme asked concerned from noticing this

 

Neku then flashed back to Anthony sitting next to him telling him how he wants to kill him, causing him to clasp onto his right shoulder deep in thought at the fact that Anthony is powerful enough to kill him, and how he and none of his friends are at a powerful enough ranking to kill him

 

His friends then all turn to Neku concerned by seeing him almost stare off into space. He notices that they were looking at him and immediately turns away from them hiding his face in his funnel collar with his hands in his pockets.

 

"Four of them" he thought "Four people all watching me…this is…just like last time."

 

He then flashed back to when he was he was at school one day later after attending Takato's funeral. He didn't want to go to school, it was like no one in the world knew that he was mourning that person's death and remembered walking to his locker as one tear streamed down his left cheek, causing at least four students in the hallway to laugh at him as he walked away from them.

 

"Neku?" he heard Shiki say, cutting off the flashback

 

He then took a deep breath and actually fought back his tears thinking about Taki's death, and then turned to his friends and smiled.

 

"Don't worry I'm fine" he said sweetly

 

He then hanged his head again feeling worried

 

"I'm sorry….I…I just...thought I saw someone, that…I saw Anthony just now." Neku said weakly not wanting to talk about his flashback

 

This troubling news then startled his friends

 

"Phones, I'm sure you were jus' imaginin' things yo. That freak can't get through the barrier man. It jus' ain't possible." Beat said reassuringly

 

"Yeah Neku Beat's right" Rhyme said happily

 

Neku then let's out a sigh of relief that he was gone and said that she was right and thanked her for cheering her up.

 

They then went to Spain hill where Anthony unleashed a little bit of his energy so Neku could feel his presence, making him feel like someone was watching him.

 

"Where are you?" Neku thought as he walked with his friends

 

He then felt chills go down his spine as Anthony whispered

 

"I'm right here"

 

Hearing his voice caused Neku to instantly turn around to look behind him in his fighting stance…but he didn't see Anthony

 

Seeing how Neku was hiding his face in his bangs and hid his hands in his pockets, Shiki then walked over to him and held his hand.

 

"Neku, you look so pale, you okay? It's him again isn't it?" she said sadly

 

"I...I'll be fine and yeah, it was. It's just, this isn't like the Reapers' Game Shiki. Back then, even when I fought a really powerful Reaper, like a Game Master, or even the Conductor…I still had a chance at defending myself. I had my Psychs and--

 

Neku then looks up at Shiki, and then looks at his other friends

 

"my partners…"

 

he then looked down again

 

"but with these Demons...it's totally different. Even if the energy of my soul is really powerful, I'm only powerful for a ghost. It's not like it really matters anyway. Some people are more creative than others, some are more logical than others, everyone has the potential to be creative. but none of that helps. In the end…it's still not enough. I…I can't do anything…Anthony's even stronger than Clarissa so…I--

 

Neku was then cut off by Shiki who squeezed his hand.

 

"I know you're afraid of them, but I'm scared of them too Neku. We've nearly died facing them when it was just you and me here. But…even then I wanted to be strong, I wanted to defeat them so I could hangout with you and just be safe…with you. I don't know how but…we ARE going to get through this Neku. It'll be okay." she said sweetly

 

"No...no that's not it...It's not that I'm scared, it's just that I don't know how to handle this. and…how can you be so sure?" Neku said hanging his head

 

Shiki then chuckles, happy that Neku's trying to be brave

 

"Well good, in that case, I won't be scared of them either and...that's because me, Beat, and Rhyme did what no one thought was possible. We pushed ourselves to go and master a power completely beyond our understanding Neku. We did all of that…for you, to get our friend back. So if we could do that out of determination to save you, then I know you can get stronger too Neku." Shiki said smiling

 

Neku then raised his head and smiled back

 

"thanks" Neku said sweetly

 

"heh, don't mention it." Shiki replied

 

The friends then all went and ate at the restaurants located in Shibuya. Beat, Eri and Rhyme all added to what Shiki told him and said that they know he can get stronger learn how to control his Angel energy better. Eventually, they all started to head back to the scramble crossing where Neku saw Anthony outside of the barrier watching him, causing Neku to gasp.

 

His friends all spot Anthony too and tell Neku that everything's fine that he can't get into Shibuya.

 

"Yeah, you're right it'll be fine" Neku said smiling at them

 

he then looks at Anthony filled with anger

 

"Try whatever you want, but it won't work! You can't screw with me!" he roared shaking his fist

 

Anthony then smiled at Neku and placed his hand on one of the eight extra barriers, summoned his demon energy, and blasted it against the barrier causing the energy to break through two of them.

 

"No! he's breaking through!" Neku exclaimed

 

"C'mon Phones it ain't safe here man! We gotta run yo!" Beat cried but Neku was frozen, Cedric's energy was feeding off of his fear freezing Neku in place.

 

Hearing Beat's voice sort of snapped him out of it making him look at Beat and nod his head

 

"Yeah! We're not strong enough yet!" Neku yelled

 

Neku Beat and the others then all ran towards their houses knowing that they wouldn't stand a chance against Anthony

 

Anthony then shot another blast of energy breaking two more extra layers of the barrier reducing it down to four. this then made Neku stop and look back

 

"No…stop it!" Neku screamed in his head

 

"C'mon Neku! We gotta hurry! We had a hard enough time fighting you when you were the Demon Lord! There's no way we can handle a Demon even stronger than that!" Shiki yelled

 

Neku then nodded again and they all continued running, desperate to get to safety to let Mr. H and Joshua handle Anthony trusting that they would help.

 

Mr. H and Joshua saw this happening from his district and knew that if they were to continue to protect Neku from the Higher Ups that they had to do whatever they could to keep the barrier from breaking.

 

They both dissolved into white orbs and flew into their portal that they were using to watch over Neku and flew to the HP Shibuya. Neku then saw the orbs become Mr. H and Joshua

 

"Guys what're you doing here?! It's not safe!" Neku shouted while looking back

 

"You sound like you don't have a lot of faith in our abilities Neku. But don't worry I won't take it personally" Joshua said teasingly

 

Anthony then smiled at Mr. H and Joshua and made a clone of himself. The clone then shot more energy at the barrier. Mr. H tried to attack the clone but the real Anthony intervened and attacked him. Joshua then supported Mr. H by immediately firing his Composer energy at Anthony however, in order to not overload the HP Shibuya they both had to lower their vibe frequency even more then it already is in their human form, making them weaker.

 

"They…they can't do it." Neku thought afraid "their energies are a lot lower, I can feel it. But that means…they're still not strong enough, in order for the Higher Plane version of Shibuya to be safe they'd have to do this though."

 

The troubled teen then stopped dead in his tracks and turned around from hearing a loud cracking noise. Neku's irises then trembled as the clone broke two more of the barriers. Mr. H and Joshua desperately attacked Anthony and his clone but they weren't strong enough. All of Neku's friends watched horrified as Anthony attacked Mr. H and Joshua. The clone then attacked the barrier one more time causing the barrier to finally break, hurting Mr. H since the barrier was made of his energy.

 

"NO! he….he really?! He actually broke it! NOOOOOO! Now they--

 

Mr. H then interrupted Neku's troubled thoughts

 

"NEKU RUN! GE OUT OF HERE NOW!" Mr.H screamed

 

He then did as he was told and continued to head towards his house with his friends standing their ground, causing Neku to stop and look at them as Anthony ran after him.

 

"Guys?! Guys what're you--

 

"Go Neku! We have more experience with our Angel Energy than you, we may not be able to kill him, but we can at least hold Anthony off! You need more training to catch up to us! GO!" Rhyme shouted

 

knowing he was right, Neku looked at them for a few seconds

 

"Be careful!" Neku shouted

 

he then ran off trusting his friends

 

Beat, Rhyme, Shiki and Eri tapped into their Angel energy ready to defend Neku but as Anthony began to run past them he generated a dome of Demon energy and blasted it knocking out his friends…all except one, since she's had more experience fighting Demons, she's more adjusted to the tricks they pull.

 

Shiki instantly transferred herself to Mr. Mew before the impact of the blast so she wouldn't feel anything as her stuffed animal. She then ran to Neku's house and unleashed Mr. Mew's panther form. The panther ran faster and faster catching up to Anthony and pounced at him tackling him from behind.

 

Mr. H wanted to help, but he and Joshua were still preoccupied with fighting Anthony's clone who was unleashing energy at them trying to kill them. When Panther Mr. Mew had Anthony on the ground Neku looked behind him shocked to see Panther Mr. Mew slashing and biting Anthony.

 

"GO! GET OUT OF HERE!" Shiki screamed at Neku telepathically

 

"What?! I can't just leave you Shiki!" Neku screamed at the panther

 

"there's not a lot of time left, I can only hold him down for a little longer PLEASE NEKU! PLEASE RUN!" she yelled at him mentally

 

Neku at first was hesitant and then took off trusting Shiki

 

"Please don't get hurt Shiki! I…I don't want to lose you!" Neku screamed in his head

 

"Panthers are really powerful animals so…Shiki's got this she can hold her own against him right?!" Neku thought concerned

 

As he ran closer to his house Anthony lets out a blast of energy that sent Panther Mr. Mew flying and when he crashed to the ground Shiki went flying out of the toy. Infuriated by her interference, Anthony then walked over to Shiki, hoping to lure Neku over to him.

 

"You've been a very bad little girl for interfering with my plan that way." Anthony said darkly

 

He then grabbed Shiki by her neck and electrocuted her with Demon energy with his left hand. Neku then instantly stopped running and turned around to see Shiki screaming in pain. Regardless of his fear of Anthony, his fear of losing a friend, watching someone that he cares about die in front of him was something that he feared even more

 

"Shikiiiiiiii!" Neku screamed

 

"I can't lose another friend like that! I just can't! I lost Taki…my memories of him are starting to come back. I saw Rhyme get erased…I don't want to watch that happen! Not again!" Neku thought enraged

 

His fear was then replaced by anger at the thought of losing Shiki. His energy fed off of his emotions causing his body to feel like it was burning and he was surrounded by his energy, but it wasn't unstable it flickered like fire from the intensity of his emotions, but it was completely stable. Neku's mind and Soul were being amplified by his determination.

 

"STOOOOOOOOOP!" Neku screamed at Anthony

 

He then shot his energy at Anthony only to have it blocked by his right hand. However he was shocked that Neku's energy was actually burning him.

 

"Heh so this is the strength of the Composer's Proxy? This is how powerful their energy is? It's actually burning me. Heh heh, such an interesting little boy." Anthony thought pleased

 

He then recoiled Shiki with a blast of demon energy. Neku then ran after Shiki and helped her get to her feet, they held each other's hands as they ran away from Anthony to make sure they didn't lose track of each other. However as they ran to Neku's house, he teleported in front of them and shot energy at them both, shooting energy at Neku's chest with the same energy, Neku then screamed in pain as the energy sent him flying back with Shiki laying unconscious. He then grabbed Neku by his funnel collar and teleported him and Neku away from Shiki and into his house.

 

The clone then disappeared and Joshua and Mr. H hurried over to Neku's house only to notice that Anthony had placed a barrier around the house.

 

"Phones…" Mr. H said concerned

 

"I'm not gonna fail my job again Joshua. I need to protect the Higher Plane's citizens from demons. And even more important then that, he's my friend, and I gotta protect him just like how l have with you" he said sternly

 

"True, but how would we get in? we haven't fought Demons as strong as him in a while and on top of that they're still around...the energy of the strongest demons still exists, they've just been hiding this whole time, and on top of that, Kurushii was one of the strongest Demon Lords of all time, and Neku was a lot like him as a Demon Lord…so who knows what Anthony can really do." Joshua said darkly

 

"I know boss…but…I promised him that I wouldn't let him get hurt, I don't want to break that promise again. You know I'd do the same if it was you in there." Mr. H said strongly

 

"I'm gonna keep my promise to you Neku" Mr. H thought

 

They then went into their true forms and increased their vibe frequency a little. They eventually increased it more and more until they were almost about to tear the HP Shibuya apart as massive amounts of the city began to dissolve into static.

 

As they attacked the barrier hoping to get to Neku in time, Anthony was attacking him overwhelming him with Demon energy in Neku's living room. He tried to fight back using his energy but it only burned Anthony and didn't inflict enough damage to really hurt him. The menacing Demon then shot more blasts of energy at Neku making him scream in pain and then slashed Neku with his claws and teleporting around him to attack him at all angles.

 

Neku then almost collapses and holds onto his right arm for support places his hands on his head and closes his eyes and generated his white energy outlined in dark blue around himself like fire as he began to heal himself.

 

"Gotta push myself harder! I gotta somehow fight back!" Neku screamed in his head

 

Anthony, amused, then charged up to Neku only for Neku to open his eyes and extend out his hands

 

"Get outta my face!" Neku roared

 

Anthony then was launched backwards as Neku's energy burnt his skin and clothes.

 

The current Demon Lord then got up from landing on the floor and then snapped his fingers, giving off his presence causing Neku to have a headache and fall to his knees. He trembled in pain as he tried to get up only to have Anthony punch him in the face with such force that it caused him to roll onto the ground, currled into a ball from the pain.

He then tried to crawl away from Anthony only to have him grab Neku's left leg and throw him towards the stairs that led to his room. As Neku was suspended in the air, Anthony then teleported himself to Neku and shot energy at Neku's chest causing him to smash his body against the stairs. He then grabbed Neku by his hair and threw him upward again and round house kicked Neku in the stomach sending him flying to his room.

 

He was filled with fatigue and overwhelmed from feeling like his body was burnt from Anthony's energy causing Neku to wheeze in pain as he laid on the floor.

 

He saw he was surrounded by his energy, and how it went out of control resembling lightning.

 

"No…this…this is just like…when I first met Clarissa. Nngh…I…I can't…do…any…thing. I…

 

Neku then felt his body get weaker and was barely conscious, as he was about to pass out he heard someone's voice come out as a whisper

 

"I'm not done yet"

 

Neku then opened his eyes with shock to see Anthony right in front of him, charging up more energy into his hands. He then tried to crawl away from Anthony and get to his feet, but his body was to weak for him to stand up.

 

"It…can't end…like this. I don't want it to! I…I don't want to leave them…all the things they went through trying to save me, it'll all be for nothing if he kills me…I…I just…can't…I don't want to Fade…he's too strong but…as much as I don't want to...and I would rather use my Angel energy, I'm...still getting used to that one...I need to turn into…Damien…at least then…I can be stronger." he thought

 

As Anthony lifted Neku off of the ground by his collar and electrocuted him making Neku scream in pain. he then began to choke Neku with his left hand and tear Neku's chest open with his right hand, doing a deep verticle slit. The moment he did, dark blue energy began to leak out, making Neku look terrified at Anthony.

 

"NO!" Neku screamed as Anthony tore deeper into his chest

 

"I...I have chills going down my back? Why?! Why do I feel this way?! I know if I had a pulse, my heart would be pounding right now! WHY?!" Neku screamed in his head "I don't wanna die! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I have to use it, I don't want to rely on just my Demon form! Focus on the Angel Energy, not the Demon energy!" 

 

 

 

He began to focus his thoughts on his Angel energy and fired a beam of it out of his right hand and blasted Anthony away from him. He then fired Angel energy four more times at the demon making Anthony get knocked back even further away from him.

 

 

"You think that just because you can fire some Angel energy at me, that that's enough to save you?" Anthony said as he got back up

 

 

Neku then placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes 

 

 

"I'm not gonna die to a freak like you!" Neku said firmly

 

he then opened his eyes and held his hands out towards Anthony, unleashing a massive explosion of the Angel energy, making him scream in pain as the Angel energy burned his body and clothes. But unleashing such a massive blast of energy then made Neku tried

 

"Nngh! no...not now" Neku said squeezing his hair

 

he then clenched onto his right arm as a crutch, panting out of breath

 

 

Anthony then got back up while clenching his ribs

 

"That...Nngh! was actually pretty good, but still...it's not enough Neku" Anthony said smiling

 

 

Anthony then ran towards Neku and tried slashing him with his claws, which made Neku lean left and right to dodge the attacks, as he kept dodging, Anthony then grabbed him by the neck again and electrocuted him with demon energy.

 

Knowing that he still needs more practice with his Angel energy, Neku then began to focus his thoughts on his demon form and his body triggered the transformation becoming the former Demon Lord. He then shot demon energy back at Anthony sending him flying back and all of Neku's unstable energy went back inside him. He then unleashed the same combo he did to Beat at Anthony.

 

He slashed Anthony over and over in the chest and round house kicked him, only to have Anthony grab him by his foot and swing Neku back to the ground. Neku got back to his feet and got in his usual attack position and shot energy at Anthony sending him flying back. Neku then summoned two giant speakers

 

The new Demon Lord noticed this and chuckled at Neku

 

"You really think that focusing your energy through sound will help you? You really have no idea who you're up against." Anthony said darkly

 

"Shut up!" Neku snarled

 

He then snapped his fingers unleashing the energy like homing missiles at the demon while unleashing the sound of feed back from the speakers. Anthony merely smiled at Neku and unleashed his energy to cut through Neku's and charged towards him.

 

Neku then tried to slash Anthony with his claws again only to have him unleash that same speed attack on his demon form slashing Neku's clothes and body. Anthony then chocked Neku and electrocuted him with his Demon energy and dropped him on the floor. As Neku laid on the ground Anthony crept closer and began to kick Neku in the stomach over and over and eventually started punching Neku's face.

 

He screamed in pain as Anthony then manipulated Neku's demon energy to make him feel like he has bones. He then stomped on Neku's chest causing him to hear a cracking sound making him unleash an agonizing scream. Anthony then stabbed Neku with his claws over and over, and picked him up and shot him with more energy bouncing Neku off of one of the walls of his room. Neku was overwhelmed with so much pain that he couldn't take it anymore. He laid on the floor barely even conscious wheezing in pain.

 

Anthony smiled at his beaten, and broken opponent and generated a giant pillar of Demon energy and prepared to strike Neku with it.

 

"You know, it's such a shame how the mighty have fallen. Here you are, the once feared and powerful Damien, now reduced to a little Mongrel. I'll admit that you were definitely more of a challenge in your Demon form, but all the same, you're weak, pathetic, and broken. No one can help you and no one can save you Neku Sakuraba." Anthony said smiling.

 

"I told you that I was going to make you suffer but…I want someone else to see this." he added

 

With a snap of his fingers, he then teleported Shiki over to Neku's room where she regained consciousness inside of a bubble of Demon energy preventing her from escaping to help her friend.

 

"Ugh…where am I? Huh?…No! what did you do to him?!" Shiki screamed

 

She saw Neku's demon form covered with black slashes that went deeper than the normal cuts that demons have on them and was wheezing in pain and felt her eyes water.

 

"N-Neku…" she said sniffling

 

Anthony pleased with her suffering looked at her and smiled before turning back to the fallen ex-Demon Lord smiling at Neku's fatigue

 

"Mr. H" Neku whimpered

 

"No one can save you Neku…it's over" he said darkly while charging Demon energy in his left hand as a massive pillar

 

He then lowered his hand sending the energy down to impale Neku a white flash of light came and sent Anthony hurdling away from Neku with another one following it.

 

"Mr. Hane…ko…ma" Neku whispered

 

"I'm sorry Neku…that barrier he placed around the house was really tough to break." Mr. H said morosely

 

"yeah but it looks like we got here just in time." Joshua said remarking on how hurt Neku was

 

Anthony then smiled and attacked them both. Mr. H and Joshua shot their energy at him only to have Anthony block it with his energy but this only made Mr. H and Joshua then blast their energies at Anthony making him scream in pain and Mr. H grabbed Anthony by his neck and slammed him onto the ground.

 

He then teleported away from them and attacked them both with his claws causing them both to scream. Mr. H and Joshua then became their true forms and attacked him. Regardless of how powerful they are, they still struggled against Anthony. Eventually, as their fight continued they had to return to their human forms again to reserve energy.

 

They were both beaten and weak, but were both determined not to let Neku Fade.

 

"Mr. H…and…Joshua…they…they know how dangerous this is…but…they're still fighting…I…I don't want…to feel this weak…I…I want to be strong again…to be…able to defend…myself…Shiki…Beat, Rhyme, Joshua, Eri, Mr. H…they…they're my friends…I…don't want to lose them." Neku thought

 

As Neku thought more about his friends and less about his fear of fading away his energy began to empower him.

 

"I'm not gonna let everything they've done be for nothing! And I'm…I'M NOT GONNA LOSE YOU MR. H!AND I'M NOT LOSING YOU EITHER JOSH!" he screamed in his head.

 

His Demon energy lessened and he returned to his normal state. When he did, he didn't feel the wounds he had anymore and the wound in his chest healed itself.

 

Neku rose to his feet shocking everyone making the fight stop. He was surrounded by his energy but it was stable flowing like an aurora borealis. The energy had such force to it that it created an intense wind that stung around everyone else around it.

 

Neku then placed his right hand on his head to use his energy to amplify his mind and generated an orb in his left hand, however the orb looked much more intense as the energy danced like flames. With strands of lightning going around him.

 

He sees how Mr. H and Joshua have cuts all over their bodies, which infuriated him. Neku then extended his hand outward to increase the size of the orb.

 

"I'm not just gonna sit back and let you kill them, I want to be strong…so bastards like you don't mess with me anymore!" Neku said in a dark tone of voice

 

Anthony shocked at how Neku's energy is so intense how powerful his soul really is, that it was stinging him, and backed down and backed away from him.

 

"Well you're full surprises aren't you Neku? Heh well I guess I'll have to try again some other time." Anthony said smiling.

 

"What? Don't think you're leaving that easily. Demons like you aren't supposed to exist anymore." Joshua said darkly

 

"Another time Joshua" Anthony said waving his hand goodbye.

 

Within the blink of an eye, Anthony then teleported away from them, causing the bubble Shiki was in to disappear.

 

"Neku! You okay?!" Shiki screamed as she ran to him

 

But when the three friends looked at him they saw him in his fighting stance and  that his eyes had turned darkblue and  the aura around him danced like a wild fire as his body glowed a white tint. Neku was unleashing such a powerful amount of his energy that it was beginning to tear him and everything around him, apart. His friends look in shock seeing that his out of control energy was making his room begin to dissolve

 

"Phones you gotta get that control back champ, you're energy's going berserk!" Mr. H said concerned

 

Neku then placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes and took a deep breath followed by letting it out slowly causing his energy to become stable and go back inside him.

 

He then felt extremely weak and fell forward only to be caught by Mr. H, placing his hands on Neku's shoulders, steadying him while healing him at the same time.

 

"I'm proud of ya Phones…you're finally starting to conquer your fear of Demons, that took a lot of guts standing up to him like that." Mr. H said smiling

 

"heh heh, thanks…" Neku said weakly too tired to deny being scared

 

"I…I just thought about how I wanted you and Joshua to be safe and the next thing I knew my energy made me strong." he added

 

"can you stand on your own?" Mr. H asked

 

Neku then gently takes Mr. H's hands off of his shoulders and stands normally

 

"yeah, thanks Mr. Hanekoma" Neku said sincerely

 

"Don't mention it kiddo" Mr. H said with a smile

 

"I'm glad you're getting stronger Neku!" Shiki said happily

 

"same here" Neku said with his hand on his waist with his smug smile

 

Mr. H then told Neku that if he feels tired, to get some rest and that when he's better that he wants to help Neku get stronger. Shiki then decided to stay with Neku a bit to make sure he's really okay. The teens happily then say good bye to Mr. H and Joshua and Shiki and Neku walk around Shibuya together

 

Mr. H and Joshua were then teleported to the Higher Ups where they were angry at that their little act during Neku's trial, so as punishment they would all play the Angels' Game with Mr. H as a Hunter.


	18. The Angels' Game

Neku walked around with Shiki while wondering if he can handle trying to become the Ultimate God. He also remembers what Joshua said about friends and how they are only there for memories, and it was something that hurt him. So because of this he decided to tell Shiki what he was hiding from his friends, the real reason that he turned away from them when he felt worried

 

"Shiki you could sense it couldn't you?" he said weakly

 

"Huh? Oh…yeah when you turned away from us but… you don't need to tell me anything that you don't want to Neku." Shiki said smiling

 

"thanks but…I just didn't want to say what I felt there…I guess I'm…I'm just still getting used to this…getting use to having people that I can trust. So…I just...had a flashback when the four of you saw me get sad making me turn away." Neku said smiling a little

 

He then told Shiki about how he was at school after Taki died and the four people made fun of him for it, and how he didn't want his friends to see him cry.

 

"But Neku you know we wouldn't hurt you." she said sweetly

 

Neku then looks to her and smiles

 

"Yeah I know… I just want to have the best memories with you guys, since that's all I'll really have." he replied

 

"Huh? What do you mean Neku?" Shiki said curiously

 

"it's something Joshua told me, that friendships are temporary and that in the long run, if we were alive, that we'd go our separate ways and all I'd have is my memories of you guys." he said a little sadly

 

Noticing how talking about that made Neku hang his head Shiki then tried to cheer him up.

 

"But Neku, we're immortal now remember? Our friendship doesn't have to end…I guess that's an upside to being dead. So no matter what happens Neku, you won't have just memories of us…cause we'll always be there for you." Shiki said kindly

 

Neku then raised his head and smiled at her

 

"thanks" he said weakly

 

"Heh heh, anytime" she said back

 

"Um Shiki…you don't need to stay here really. I'm okay." Neku said reassuringly

 

"I know, it's just every time you're left alone something bad happens." she said concerned

 

"Yeah…I guess that's true but, I'm okay Shiki really. I'm not exactly one hundred percent better but…you don't have to stay here if you don't want to, you can go back to your house and sew or hang out with Eri too, if you want." Neku said smiling

 

Shiki then smiled and giggled, happy that Neku's being so gentlemanly again, thinking about her and trying to be there for her too.

 

"well okay, since you're so sure about it, I'll go back Neku. Heh heh I hope you get better soon" she said sweetly

 

"I will don't worry." he said happily

 

Shiki then started to head back to her apartment but before she did, she stopped, looked at Neku's house and then imagined the door to Neku's bedroom being fixed since she and Mr. H had destroyed it earlier as a panther when she and Mr. H were trying to break the barrier Anthony made, and then phased through his room and went back to her house.

 

Neku then walked around the city some more before he started to head back to his house. as he did, he couldn't help but have a good memory for once and closed his eyes for a few seconds before he would walk again. He remembered how he'd go to walking around the city with Taki and how they'd do school projects together and how they'd play videogames together. In some ways, he still missed his first real friend before meeting everyone in the UG and wished he could talk to him one more time.

 

"It's weird. It's like the more time l spend in the Higher Plane, the more l started to remember him. His death hurt to the point it hurt remembering him. So it's like l blocked him out over time, not wanting to feel the pain anymore." Neku thought while hiding his face in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

As he began walking again, he hear what sounded like footsteps going towards his direction, they were very fast paced as if the person was running there. He also noticed it was followed by two more rapidly paced footsteps.

 

He then heard someone yell causing Neku to look behind him

 

"PHONES! YOU OKAY MAN?! YOU AIGHT?! WHAT'D THAT DEMON FREAK DO TO YOU YO?!" Beat screamed

 

"Beat calm down! I'm alright really! Anthony attacked me but Mr. H and Joshua saved my ass again." Neku said reassuringly

 

Rhyme and Eri also ran up to him when they got close enough Rhyme then hugged Neku as she got close enough to him

 

"I…I thought that you might've Faded Neku! I was so scared!" she screamed

 

Neku then wrapped his arms around her hugging her back

 

"I'm sorry I scared you Rhyme…Anthony's just really strong so…I have a really hard time fighting him…I just…I feel like there's nothing I can do you know? But…I'll get stronger so I can stand a chance against him, that's a promise. I'm okay Rhyme really." he said morosely

 

She then took a deep breath and sighed and then let's go of Neku

 

"I'm glad you're okay Neku" she said sweetly

 

"Yeah…me too" Eri said smiling

 

Neku smiled at his friends but couldn't help but notice Eri was sad, making him look at her worried

 

"Are you sure you're okay Neku?" she said weakly

 

Eri then hangs her head a little

 

"The last thing I'd want is...is for you to just say you're okay for us not to worry" Eri said filled with grief

 

Neku then clung on to his right shoulder turning away from her

 

"I don't blame you for being worried...that guy, he'll stop at nothing until I'm gone...but...I...I actually managed to fight back somehow. I even fought him with my Angel energy. Mr. H and Joshua had to save my ass but...I'm okay now, thanks to them."

 

Neku then smiled at her with his smug smile and hand on his waist

 

"So don't worry about me because I really mean it. I'm fine Eri." he said with a smile, making Eri giggle

 

"I'm so glad Neku" she said smiling

 

As they all walked around Shibuya some more, Shiki then joined in and they then continued their walk and occasionally rode some of the trains and eventually went to Towa Records for Neku to get some Cds that he could burn into his computer and then put on to his MP3.

 

He bought some alternative rock band's music, as well as hip hop, and techno. He finally felt happy around his friends and felt safe. He knew that Mr. H was watching over him and will protect him if something happens, and yet Neku wants to be able to fight on his own and protect him one day.

 

As they all wandered the streets some more they eventually parted ways and went back to their houses. Beat tells Neku that he wants a guy chat with him. So he and Neku went to the Hachiko statue and looked at the sky for a bit 

 

"What's up man? Is there something you wanna talk about?" Neku said curiously

 

He then noticed Beat's eyes watering

 

"Hm? I wonder what's wrong?" Neku thought

 

Before he could say anything Beat then told Neku what was bothering him

 

"You jus' don' get it yo. It was so hard man, havin' to fight you when you were controlled by that Demon Witch! You don' know how hard it was to have to fight you again man! Why do you think I couldn't kill you in the UG?!" Beat screamed

 

"Huh? Beat where's all of this coming from?" Neku asked

 

"It's from… jus' remembering that you know? Even when I didn't know you in the UG and my mission was to kill you, I still couldn't do it yo! That jus' ain't me man. I ain't a killer. But that's what you were when you was Damien man. It reminded me of that time when I had to kill you, an' how you musta felt goin' through havin' to fight someone you jus' met a few days ago, that now I was tryin' to kill you! I didn't want it to go down like that, that I had to kill you as a Demon yo! But we got really close to havin' to do that, you were that outta control yo!" Beat said sadly

 

Hearing Beat say that made Neku look at him in shock

 

"An' then that Anthony freak yo! that demon freak coulda killed you man! When that punk knocked us all out 'cept for Shiki, and then I woke up, I thought it was over Phones…that…that…he killed you." he said weakly with tears streaming down his face

 

"Beat…I'm sorry" Neku said hanging his head "I...I fought him as hard as I could and managed to burn him with my energy, but it wasn't enough"

 

"All the stuff we went through to get you back, it felt like it was goin' to waste you know?! An' how you've been there for me 'n Rhyme Phones, how thanks to your advice I'm startin' to get along wid my folks yo. It's been rough, but eversince we beat the Reapers' Game and became a family again, they're startin' to 'ppreciate me Phones. But we still fight sometimes. Whenever we would argue I'd stay at your house 'n spend a few days there man, it felt like I was parta your family yo. That I was a Sakuraba too! But then…THEN HE ALMOST TOOK THAT AWAY NEKU!" Beat roared with his fists trembling

 

"Beat…you don't need to say anymore, I can see how much this hurts you." Neku said sincerely 

 

"LISTEN!" Beat shouted "I FEEL LIKE THIS CAUSE IT AIN'T THE SAME WITHOUT YOU PHONES! YOU WAS THE FIRST PERSON THAT ACTUALLY GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ME OTHER THAN RHYME! YOU DIDN'T JUS' GIVE UP ON ME LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!"

 

Beat then takes a deep breath and sighed

 

"You helped me get Rhyme back yo, you was there for me man…and…now...I know that you ain't my friend no more…

 

Hearing him say that then caused Neku to look up and stare at Beat in shock

 

"You're my brother." Beat said weakly

 

"Wh-What?" Neku said shocked

 

"Heh heh, that's why I was so pissed at the Demon Witch for doin' all of that to you yo! Cause you been there for me like you actually live with me an' Rhyme, like you're part of our family yo. An' when we were partners, I  couldn't  help but wanna watch your back 'n try to help you out. So…you're kinda like…the little bro I never had man. Heh heh, I know this sounds all wussy like 'n stuff but it's true. That's why I'mma back you up the next time any demon gets near you yo!" Beat said smiling

 

"Heh heh, now what makes me the little brother?" Neku said tauntingly

 

"Cause you too puny, an' scrawny, an' weak, an' tiny…

 

"Beat seriously man…that's not cool" Neku said crossing his arms

 

Beat then looked at Neku in shock

 

"Bwaaaaah! Phones don't get so pushy yo!" he screeched

 

Neku then couldn't help but laugh causing Beat to do the same

 

"thanks man, I'm glad that you're looking out for me." Neku said smiling

 

Beat then yanked Neku over to him and gave him a nuggie

 

"Any time Neku" Beat said smiling

 

Beat then let's go of Neku and they bumped fists together and then teleported to the Scramble Crossing. Neku's friends all see them teleport back and join them once more.

 

"So how was your little guy talk?" Eri said smiling

 

Neku awkwardly scratched his head with Beat doing the same

 

"It was fine." Neku replied

 

"Yeah it was nothin' really." Beat added

 

"Heh heh, if you say so" Rhyme said giggling

 

This then caused Shiki to giggle too

 

"Huh? Hey what's so funny?!" Neku shouted in his usual shocked pose

 

"Well you guys seem like the conversation was really awkward or something" Shiki said smiling

 

"well…it wasn't so….um can we just…drop this?" Neku said scratching his head

 

Shiki then giggled

 

"Sure Neku" she said happily

 

They all walked around the city some more and ate at certain restaurants again, unaware that the Angels' Game was being prepared for Neku. Mr. H and Joshua were summoned to the Maestros' Court Room and were told that they would go retrieve Neku for the Game and that they are to wait for them to return.

 

The same Maestros went with their Guardian Angels to the HP Shibuya. Neku and his friends were headed to Spain Hill when he felt the same intense pressure he felt last time and fell to his knees squeezing his hair, and trembling in pain. His other friends all felt the presence too causing them to do the same.

 

The Higher Ups appeared to Neku and lowered their vibe so he could stand up. Upon doing so he then went through the same procedure of the Angels digging energy into him so he can't escape.

 

Ryuga then got in front of Neku smiling at how nervous he was.

 

"The time has come Neku Sakuraba. It is time for you to come to terms with your misdeeds." he said darkly

 

"No! You can't do that! Neku didn't know what he was doing! He didn't know that he was breaking a rule when he talked to his mom, or when he had no control over his body! It's not his fault! Don't do this to him!" Shiki cried 

 

She then hanged her head

 

"Please…just…take me" She said weakly she then raised her head slowly

 

 

"let me play the Game for him!" Shiki cried

 

"What?! Shiki you can't! you saw how this isn't like the Reapers' Game!" Neku shouted

 

Ryu then smiled at Shiki

 

"It is out of the question! The Angels' Game is a punishment for those who have committed misdeeds. It is enforced by us! Your wishes don't mean a thing!" he replied sinisterly

 

"No…then…that means…

 

Shiki then hanged her head fighting back tears in her eyes

 

Neku then walked to her filled with grief

 

"Shiki, don't worry about me I'll be okay, really. I have too much on the line to just lose, so no matter what happens to me I'll make sure to survive. I'll make it through this…somehow." he said sweetly

 

"You sure?" she said weakly

 

"yeah, I'll keep fighting…for all you guys. I'll come back Shiki, that's a promise." Neku said reassuringly

 

Shiki then takes a deep breath and sighs

 

"alright, we'll be waiting for you." she said sweetly

 

Neku then feels like something was pulling him back, causing him to extend his hand out to Shiki, and she did the same.

 

They smiled at each other as their hands wrapped around each other's hands before their fingers slipped causing Neku to let go. A Guardian Angel then opens a portal for him to go through, Neku takes one last look at his friends before turning away and going inside it. The other Maestros went inside with one of them telling his friends that they may go to the court room if they wish to watch the Game. Without hesitation they all ran inside the portal.

 

Neku was shocked when he reached the other side to see Joshua and Mr. H there and wondered what they were doing inside the room again. The Angels then removed the energy from him allowing him to walk up to Joshua and Mr. H. His friends sat in the stands once again watching him.

 

The Maestros then teleported themselves to their Judges table for Aiden to speak.

 

"Sanae Hanekoma, and Yoshiya, Joshua, Kiryu, you two committed the act of deception towards us by making it seem as if the Proxy had Faded. Upon realizing that the barrier was made by Sanae's energy and that you merely teleported Neku away instead of doing what you were told, you both will now face the same punishment for the boy, all three of you will participate in the Game." he announced

 

Amonae then teleported to Neku and placed her hand on his right shoulder causing him to cringe from feeling a sharp pain.

 

"Nngh!" he grunted

 

She then removed her hand to reveal a marking on his shoulder. It was a black dot in the center with wings extending outward from the circle in a sort of graffiti style. She then did the same thing to Joshua and teleported to the Judges table once again since Mr. H didn't need once being a Hunter.

 

"You two have now received the mark of the Player, it acts as a barrier blocking off multiple energies and locks beings like Composers in their human form." she added.

 

Aiden then snapped his fingers and the silver walls dissolved into metallic gray walls with a light gray door that flies open like a garage door.

 

"Once you step foot into this room, you cannot go back to the Court Room. From here on out, you shall be in preparation for the Game. We, as well as your friends will all be watching Neku, however you will be unaware of this when you go to the room due to the barrier that's in place of the field. Similar to the Walls that are set up in the Reapers' Game." Aiden said sternly

 

"Best of luck to all of you, and may you're crimes be forgiven." he announced

 

Neku, Joshua and Mr. H all walked into the metallic room where he was given the job of being the instructor for the Game since he's been a Hunter so many times.

 

Neku sees he's surrounded by other Players, it looked like there was at least twenty of them. Mr. H then walked past Neku and stood in front of the light gray door, standing in front of the Fledglings.

 

"Alright you guys, before you all begin the Game, there's something you all need to know. The Game has been altered and you're all in another dimension known as the Blank Void. This is because this is a dimension used strictly for the Angels' Game. This change was made to put more of an emphasis on survival since you'll all be in a location that's new to you. On top of that, this Blank Void is knwon for randomly changing its appearance from time to time as well." he explained

 

Hearing Mr. H say that made Neku a little nervous, reminding him of the time when he had amnesia and needed Shiki to reintroduce him to Shibuya.

 

"I can also see some Human Souls here that were once in the Reapers' Game. For these people, this Game may be extra difficult and because of this you all will have to pay very close attention." Mr. H said darkly

 

Neku then felt extremely nervous wondering what Mr. H would say and caused him to stare at him, his eyes were locked on Mr. H paying undivided attention to him.

 

"For some of you, the Reapers' Game taught you to trust people. For others, it taught you how to believe in yourself and grow as a person. But most of all, you had to trust your partner. Here it's completely different…

 

Mr. H then made direct eye contact with Neku as if he was warning him about the Angels' Game.

 

"In the Angels' Game, you have to throw those lessons away. You CAN'T trust people because everyone is your enemy and will do anything to survive the Game…even if it results in murder or...other unethical methods. You have no Partners…you're all on your own from here on out. The only moment you are safe is when you get to the Safe Zone, an area only accessed through a light blue portal. You'll have to get there before the Hunters of course" he said darkly

 

"There you may find other Human Souls and may interact with each other, but just remember that once you leave the Safe Zone, that interaction means nothing…and you'll all fight to survive. There's another catch too, this time around you're going up against Angels, not Reapers. Angels are a lot harder to kill than Reapers due to us being much more powerful than them and on top of that…in this Game, I'm a Hunter again, meaning it's my job to hunt you Players down...and kill you" Mr. H said warning Neku

 

"I...I have to fight him? I have to fight Mr. Hanekoma?!" Neku thought nervously

 

"I don't really like doing this, but once the Game begins, I am your enemy too and if worse comes to worse…I'll have to kill you. And unlike the Reapers' Game, there's only one mission…Survive." Mr. H said seriously

 

Hearing Mr. H, CAT, the man who he respects so much, the man that's like his Guardian, always protecting him and being there for him, become his enemy and that he may have to kill that same man…was gut wrenching for Neku. He just looked at Mr. H filled with disbelief.

 

"this...this is just like when I thought Mr. H was the Composer! The man I respect so much, the person who was there for me in the Reapers' Game the WHOLE TIME...and...I...I thought I had to kill him to beat the game! But now it's for real! Now...I actually have to...I can't...I can't kill him...CAT" Neku thought filled with heartache as he squeezed his hair in frustration

 

Mr. H notices Neku's heartache and anxiety all mixing together as Neku felt tears build in his eyes causing him to hide his face in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

"Don't worry Phones I know you can do this. You have an extremely powerful imagination and your Soul is very strong. Trust your energy and remember all the things you've learned up to now…and don't worry Neku I'll always be there for you" Mr. H said mentally

 

Hearing Mr. H himself reassure Neku that he'll always be his friend then helped Neku calm down and make the tears building go away and stand in his normal position again

 

"There's one more thing I need to tell you all, especially the former players of the Reapers' Game so listen very carefully."Mr. H said sternly "

 

"Due to how random this Game is. You may or may not encounter a certain enemy here. You'll know when this enemy is  nearby."

 

Neku then looked at Mr. H in shock

 

 

"You'll never really know who's a normal spirit an who's an Angel. Spirits can also randomly switch to their human form too. This is beyond their control, and is done to make the Players even more vulnerable. So be careful. Players also may or may not have missions sent to ther cellphones to kill a certain number of Angels before time runs out, similar to the Reapers' Game."  Mr. H warned

 

 

"I'm gonna randomly switch to being a dead human again instead of a ghost? AND the location is randomly going to change on top of that?!" Neku thought starting to feel nervous again. Sensing this, Mr. H consoled him again

 

 

"Don't worry Neku. It's like I said, the Angels' Game does have some similarities to the Reapers' Game...sometimes. It may or may not be like that. Just be careful and remember, just like when you felt overwhelmed fighting the Noise, if you feel overwhelmed here, you can retreat. It's okay to escape when things seem grim. You can do this Phones, I know you can" the guardian friend said telepathically

 

Neku then hid his face under his bangs and hands hin his pockets

 

 

"Thanks Mr. H. I'll remember that" Neku said back mentally

 

He then tells them that the Game would start soon and wished them all good luck and suggested using this time to focus their energy and let it flow through them, so they can access their energy better and tap into their imagination.

 

Neku went into his usual focusing pose and closed his eyes

 

"I've…I've got this! There's no way in hell that I'm gonna lose…there's too much on the line…I can't lose. I don't want to lose them…any of them. This is for Shiki, I promised her that I'd come back and I'm gonna devote myself to that! I'm not gonna break my promise to her! Mr. H is right…just…trust my energy…let it flow through me." he thought

 

His energy began to surge like fire around him causing everyone to stare at him, including Joshua who had a smug smile with his hands in his back pockets.

 

"He's such a powerful Soul. If anything he might be able to actually take on the Angels" Joshua thought

 

Neku then takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly causing his energy to go back inside him. He then opens his eyes and feels a sharp pain in his left hand, at that moment everyone else did too.

 

"Nngh! A timer?" Neku said alarmed looking at his hand

 

 

"Wait, this is the one that'll change color to protect me, and let me know when I'm about to be killed" Neku said queitly

 

The timer has numbers in the same scratchy font like the timer of the Reapers' Game but it was colored a pale blue with a light blue outline around the numbers. Neku noticed that the timer was marked: 100:80

 

The total amount of minutes in one week.

 

He then heard someone count down from ten to zero (which was another Angel) …and eventually the angel got down to the last few numbers.

 

"Five, four, three, two, one…Game Start!" the angel cried

 

The light gray door then flew upward with the human souls all scurrying like mice out of the room desperately trying to find a place to hide. Neku notices how this realm had a sky covered in clouds, but they formed waves like a gray ocean and a gray glass floor, with blueish gray crystal pillars all around him, and also spotted a light blue portal in the distance and started running towards it. As Neku ran towards it he heard the agonizing screams of Human Souls Fading away. Already at the start of the game, five Fledglings have Faded cutting it down to fifteen Players.

 

"Where?! Where's Joshua?! I know he can take care of himself but still!…I…I have to keep running! Besides Joshua could easily teleport himself to the Safe Zone, and easily kill an Angel. But...he's a player, and in this Game I have no Partners! What if he tries to kill me?! I...damn it I could barely handle fighting the Conductor! there's no way in hell I can handle Joshua! Rrrrgh! And where IS the Safe Zone?! How do I know that I'll be safe once I go inside that portal?! Doesn't matter, I'm not gonna Fade!" Neku screamed in his head

 

He ran faster and faster desperate to escape to what he thought was the safe zone. But as he got closer he heard what sounded like a little girl screaming, a twelve-year-old girl who had the same face as Rhyme and her eye color but with brown hair, who was forced to play the Game. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards the girl.

 

"Help! Please! HELP MEEEEEEE!" she cried as a powerful Angel attacked her.

 

As Neku ran towards the girl he felt someone stab his back with energy and pulled him towards the person attacking him. He then looked behind him to see a male Angel had caught him. The Angel then twisted the energy so Neku was facing him. He then made his left hand become the intense instant kill energy that Mr. H taught Beat to wield. It was also a technique he taught other Angels, (though Mr. H is given credit as the one who invented the technique)

 

The angel then pointed the energy at Neku causing his irises to tremble. He felt terrified seeing how intense the energy was up close.

 

"No! I'm not gonna die here! I'm not gonna Fade!" Neku screamed in his head

 

He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, confusing the Angel wondering what Neku was up to.

 

"Open up, your senses" he said softly

 

Neku then opens his eyes with his energy surging like fire again and broke the energy that the Angel had in his back causing Neku to teleport himself back to the ground. The Angel then retaliated and shot lightning at Neku he then shoots his energy at the Angel and actually push the Hunter's energy back, shocking the Angel at first, only to have the Angel energy over power his causing him to be electrocuted.

 

Neku then screamed in pain as he was sent flying back from the recoil of the energy. As Neku was launched back he then saw the girl that he tried to save Fade. once he crashed onto the ground, he sees the same Angel shoot fire at him burning his clothes and body making him get scratches on him. the energy made him crash against the ground four times before Neku tried to get back to his feet.

 

Once he got up the Angel then fired dozens of bolts of energy at him causing Neku to run away getting even more scratches on him.

 

"The Safe Zone!" he thought "I gotta head there for now! I don't know how the hell I'm gonna do this!"

 

as he kept running Neku was then shot in his back with Angel energy making him scream as he rolled onto the ground. Neku then got to his feet and turned around to at least try to attack the Angel but the moment he did, the Angel shot a massive blast of energy making Neku scream as he was recoiled all the way to the safe zone portal (knowing that the Angel couldn't kill Neku with the first day now ending) rolling on the ground.

 

Eventually he ended up rolling into the forest while landing on his back causing his timer to disappear

 

"Nnnnngh!" he whimpered in pain

 

after panting from exhaustion and wheezing in pain, Neku managed to steady his breath and look around with his halfway open eyes around the forest. he then sat up with his eyes more alert and took in the sights, thinking about how otherworldy it felt

 

"huh? the trees are made of crstyals or something, and they're glowing some pale blue energy, and the ground...it's like I'm back on the streets of Shibuya. It feels solid but...it's made of crystal too. I see some patterns on the ground, sort of like when ice begins to crack...and...I feel chilly" Neku thought feeling out of place

 

 

saw that the timer on his left hand was gone

 

 

"Huh? It's gone?…wait that's right! Mr. H said the only mission we have is to survive so…that's it. I did it…I…I actually made it!" he thought astonished

 

The sun began to set in the Blank Void with the Angels killing off any remaining Fledglings.

 

"That girl…she looked like she was just twelve years old…she was...Rhyme's age.  
why? Why did she have to die so early?" he wondered as he sat against the ground

 

Neku then looked to his left and right realizing how out of place he really was. Being born and raised in the city he had no idea what to do in a forest.

 

"So this is the Safe Zone? It has to be since my timer's gone…but why a forest? Out of all the things a Human Soul could imagine…why this? Is it to act as a canopy so the Angels wouldn't be able to spot a Player so easily if they snuck in here? And…if this really is the Safe Zone then that means that Angels can't go here right?" Neku thought curiously

 

"Damn it… there's no bed, no bathroom, no house…so…what do I do? I could use my energy as a sort of fire…but…I dunno. What if a spirit cheats and tries to kill me because of it?" he wondered aloud desperate to hear something, even if it meant talking to himself

 

"Good thinking Neku, that would easily bring attention towards yourself." a voice said making him gasp

 

Neku instantly turns around to then see Joshua standing with his back against a nearby tree with his arms crossed and with his left foot against the tree as well.

 

"J-Joshua?! I thought an Angel might've gotten you and--

 

"Oh Neku you really need to have more faith in me. As a Composer, I'm right behind Mr. H and the other Angels in terms of power. You know I never knew how much these timers really stung when they first go on to your hand." Joshua said smugly

 

Neku then let's out a sigh of relief glad that Joshua was okay

 

"So…now what?" Neku asked

 

"Well now's the resting period. We get to relax and recover our strength. The Game begins again once the sun has risen again." Joshua explained

 

Neku then looks up to see a pitch black sky filled with stars and a full moon.

 

"Whoa…I never knew there were so many stars in the sky…with all the lights Shibuya has at night it's kinda hard to see them y'know?" Neku said laying down on the forest floor

 

Joshua then sits down laying his head by the tree he was near.

 

"mhm, this is the true beauty of nature Neku. The way the earth really is without humans interfering by making big noisy cities. It really is a wonderful world when you think about it." Joshua said profoundly

 

"yeah…it sorta is." Neku added

 

"We need to get some rest Neku" Joshua said sternly

 

"yeah good idea." he remarked

 

"Well then I'll see you in the morning." Joshua said with his eyes closed

 

"Yeah…see you then Josh." Neku said while still gazing at the stars

 

"I...I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but...I'll beat this Game. I'll figure out a way to fight the Angels. Don't worry guys…I'll get through this. I can't do a Soul Surge with anyone…I can't access my other energies but…I'll be okay…and Shiki, please don't worry about me…I'll survive this and be back before you know it…One Day down…six more til I'm free again." he thought

 

Neku then closed his eyes and went to sleep

 

 

To be continued…


	19. A Narrow Escape

THE 2ND DAY

 

As Neku and Joshua slept eventually the sun began to rise causing all the other spirits in the forest to wake up and prepare to gather their strength. Joshua wakes up first and noticed Neku had randomly become a dead human and was fast asleep and began drooling since he eventually slept with his mouth open a little.

 

He smiles seeing this as another chance to annoy Neku later on and quietly walks over to the sleeping boy and took a picture of him drooling on his cellphone. Joshua walks near one of the crystal trees and breaks off one of its branches and then headed to Neku. He then got in front of Neku and started poking his right arm.

 

_Poke_

 

"Neku" Joshua said quietly

 

_Poke, poke_

 

"Neku" Joshua repeated

 

_Poke, poke, poke,_

 

"Hee hee, I might as well have some fun before we start another Game" Joshua thought

 

 _Poke…poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, poke, pok_ e

 

Neku finally waked up (angry of course) while simultaneously smacking the stick out of Joshua's hand.

 

"Hee hee, morning sleepy head." Joshua said tauntingly

 

Neku then just glared at Joshua with his arms crossed letting out a low pitched groan

 

"looks like you slept well, judging by your bedhead." Joshua said smiling smugly

 

"huh?" Neku said groggy

 

Joshua then groaned and handed Neku his cellphone with the backlight turned off. Neku then held the phone in his hand and held it towards his face.

 

"Huh…weird I usually don't get bedhead very often and...wait, I'm solid again? Not a ghost? But...that can power me down even more." he said worried

 

He then hands the phone back to Joshua and uses his imagination to fix it back to its usual style. After that he couldn't help but wonder why his Composer friend was here.

 

"Joshua...you remember what Mr. H said about Players this time around right?" Neku asked with his left hand in his pocket and with his right hand extended outward

 

Joshua then lets out his creepy chuckle

 

"Why of course I do. Why do you ask?" Joshua said while pulling back his hair

 

Neku then held his right shoulder feeling concerned

 

"It's just...based off of what Mr. H said...you would technically be my enemy now...right? We're not Partners" Neku weakly

 

Joshua then smiled with his hands in his pockets

 

"Ah, that. Well, while Mr. H is right, and what you just said is true and although I could kill you _right now_ if I really wanted to, I won't. We may not be Partners this time, but I'm not an enemy. After all, you have no idea what you're even doing Neku hee hee. Besides, after our little quality time together in the Reapers' Game, it'd be such a shame for you to be killed right here." Joshua said nonchalantly

 

Neku couldn't help but feel disturbed and nervous again around Joshua from how...neutral his statement seemed, making Neku hide his eyes in his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

"So...eventhough...you could kill me right now, you're not going to just because of the Reapers' Game? that's...that's really it?" Neku said feeling a little hurt

 

"Oh Neku, must you take things so personally? I meant that as a good thing. In other words, if you were just a stranger, I'd kill you...right now. Even with the Player Seal toning down my real strength, I'm still much more powerful than you." Joshua said slyly pulling his hair back again

 

Neku couldn't help but feel chills go down his spine from Joshua freaking him out again

 

"Just be glad about my decision. After all, it'd be even harder for you if you had to face the Angels and on top of that, my power, facing the wrath of a god. Hee hee" Joshua said twirling his hair

 

"Yeah" Neku said weakly

 

 

"Just don't get the wrong idea though. I'm not fighting along side you. You're on your own. I can give advice though but that's it. Try not to die huh Neku?" Joshua said with a chuckle

 

The twisted Composer then walked past Neku, still hiding his face and hands in his pockets, amused by how Neku seemed almost scared of him. Joshua then told Neku that he's going to look for something to eat to increase his strength, causing Neku to raise his head looking at him confused

 

"Huh? But Joshua you're a god. Why would you need to eat while in the Higher Plane? I always figured while here, you were immortal too, like ghosts, like me" Neku said confused

 

"well yes, that's true. While in the Higher Plane, both Mr. H and I are dead in our human forms, like the UG yet regardless of that, I'm still human, so I need nourishment. When You go from being a ghost to a human, you do too. I would recommend you to get some food too when you get a chance. So I'm gonna go look around a bit Neku." Joshua replied

 

"Oh and by the way, while I'm gone, try to not get in trouble. It's something that you're pretty good at." he said tauntingly

 

"Har har, very funny Josh…you know I can't help that." Neku said sharply crossing his arms

 

"I know Neku, I know…just stay here before the Game begins alright? I'll come back later." Joshua said smiling.

 

He then walked deeper into the forest leaving Neku behind.

 

As his friends watched everything unfold in the Courtroom, they were happy that Neku was finally safe in the forest.

 

(in the courtroom the walls of the room were back up again with portals for each section of the stands for the other spirits to watch the Game, including one for the Higher Ups…but unknown to them, is that Anthony was watching too)

 

"Hmmm I think I'll be able to still torture Neku within the Game. I'll have to be sneaky about this though because the Higher Ups could tell hat I'm up to. I'll have to make it look like Neku is showing signs of his energy going out of control, and thanks to how I've seen the Angels' Game before, I know exactly how to do it" Anthony thought pleased

 

He then snapped his fingers making Neku's mind slowly begin to worry about surviving the game. This would then transition his thoughts of how he couldn't survive demon attacks and what he's going to do about Anthony since he couldn't handle fighting his sister. As Neku sat in the forest he couldn't help but wonder what to do. There's no bed for him to lay on, no house for him to be sheltered there was nothing for him. He then let's out a frustrated groan and laid on the floor closing his eyes attempting to get some rest before the Game started.

 

"Does the Angels' Game always have a slow start like this? Or…are the Hunters watching us waiting for us to come out so they'll kill us on sight?" he thought worried

 

"CAT…I…I know you won't hurt me but, I don't want to fight you." he thought again. At that moment, Anthony's anxiety boost began to take effect on Neku

 

He then sat up and began to feel nervous

 

 

"What if...I can't do it and I die?! What if Mr. H has to kill me?! I COULDN'T HANDLE HAVING TO FIGHT HIM! I CAN"T HANDLE FIGHTING ANGELS AND DEMONS! THEY'RE STRONGER THAN ANY REAPER I EVER FOUGHT! HOW THE HELL AM I GONNA DO THIS?!" he thought squeezing his hair

 

As he finally started to feel the effects of Anthony more and more, worrying how he'd never see his friends again, his mind became so overwhelmed worrying about how Demons could kill him, that he accidentally created an illusion of someone

 

"Neku" the female voice said.

 

He instantly opened his eyes startled by the familiarity of the voice.

 

"No…she's gone! It can't be her!…It just CAN'T!" he screamed in his head

 

He then squeezed his hair out of frustration

 

"she's not here! SHE'S NOT HERE!" he said aloud trying to reassure himself

 

He then felt someone brush their hand against his right cheek. He opened his eyes to see her Anthony had created an illusion of his sister.

 

She then pulled Neku's funnel collar down and kissed his neck and then began to play with his ears as she slid her hand into his hair.

 

"stop!" Neku whimpered

 

She then placed her head on Neku's left shoulder and wrapped her arms around Neku hugging him. This then caused Neku to cringe at the sight of her not wanting her to be so close

 

"I really missed you Neku" she said sweetly

 

she then hugged Neku a little more firmly and spoke right by his ear making him squint as he fought back tears

 

"you know, I really like spending quality time with you. to be close to you" she said by his ear

 

"L-Let go of me!…stop it!" Neku cried

 

"But why Neku? I thought you missed me" Clarissa said softly

 

he then snarled becoming frustrated

 

"Rrrgh! BACK OFF!" Neku yelled

 

He then held out his hands towards her and shot out his energy as orbs launching Clarissa away from him causing the illusion to vanish. Neku then sat on the ground squeezing his hair as he was filled with panic and anxiety

 

"I…I need to calm down! I...don't want to attract any attention! I....Rrrgh! why?! WHY?! why does she like being so close to me?! it's the way she does it, it just doesn't feel right! I need to calm down! I don't want to feel this way!" he screamed in his head

 

He then closed his eyes squeezing his hair still and tried to think about his friends but he was in such a state of panic that he couldn't do it. As Neku thought about how he would maybe face Mr. H in the Angels' Game, a spirit on another side of the forest sensed how weak Neku's energy felt and wanted to kill him to have one less Player in the Game so it would be over sooner. (If all Players are killed before the whole week is over the Angels are the winners of the Game)

 

He eventually found Neku sitting on the ground squeezing his hair and walked up to him to greet Neku.

 

the man looked like he was in his twenties and had lightbrown hair, tan skin and bright blue eyes. he wore a plain blue button up shirt with shortsleeves and grayish blue jeans and brown shoes in the same design as Joshua's shoes

"Hey what's wrong?" he asked

 

Neku then took his hands off his head and immediately turned around standing up looking at the man in shock

 

"An Angel's human form? No, that can't be it because this guy has...a Player seal?" Neku thought

 

 

seeing Neku's shocked expression the man smiled

 

 

"don't worry I'm not gonna fight you. I just sensed this unstable energy nearby and wanted to find the source" he explained

 

 

Neku then got in a more relaxed position

 

 

"and now that you've found that source, what're you going to do?" Neku said with his left hand in his pocket and right hand upward

 

 

"Oh nothing" the man replied "You okay? the energy had an urgent feeling to it, like you felt nervous or something"

 

 

Neku then looked at this mysterious man in shock

 

 

"huh? You...you could sense that?" Neku said surprised

 

 

"sure could" he answered

 

 

"Rrrgh! I don't know why you're acting like this, but you can't trick me! Cut the crap! I know you're a Player! You have a Player's Seal!" Neku roared shaking his fist

 

 

"yeah but that doesn't mean I have to fight you, not until we play the game" The man said "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise"

 

Neku then crossed his arms

 

 

"Oh really?" he said not believing the man

 

 

"yes really" he said smiling

 

 

Neku then starred at the man for a few seconds, and lets his arms go down and smiled

 

"heh, alright. I guess then I'll see you later" Neku said waving good bye as he walked away

 

"Oh hey wait, we haven't been properly introduced yet" the man called out

 

Neku then walked back to him

 

"what's your name?" the man asked

 

still a little suspicious Neku hesitated but then stated his name

 

"Neku, Neku Sakuraba" he answered

 

"Neku huh? nice name" the Man said

 

"hey Neku, could you come here? there's something I need to tell you about this Game. I've been involved in it before" he added

 

Neku then crossed his arms

 

"Why would you help me?" he said sharply

 

"Oh just to make the Game more interesting that's all" the man replied

 

"To make Game more interesting? Something doesn't feel right" Neku thought concerned "But still...he's played this before, and I haven't...but then again he could be lying. should I risk it? The only person I really know is Joshua...but if this guy really can help, I should take it"

 

a little suspicious, Neku walked slowly towards the man, then stopped, pausing for a few seconds and then walked towards the man again. as soon as Neku stood in front of the man, he grabbed Neku by his collar and lifted him off of the ground squeezing his collar to the point of squeezing his neck, choking him. the man then placed his hand over Neku's mouth and electrocuted him with his energy.

 

"Don't worry little boy, it'll all be over soon. Once you're out of the way we'll all be one step closer to finishing the Game." he said smiling

 

He then told Neku why he was in the Game

 

"As you know, only extremely dangerous spirits are then forced to play the Angels' Game as punishment for their crimes, but this also applies to an Angel or Composer that has committed a crime. Although I may not seem like it, I've done some very bad things"

 

 

Just trying to imagine what this insane man must have done to become part of the Game made Neku look at the man terrified. He then dropped Neku on the floor and generated energy in the shape of a knife and walked to Neku, preparing to kill him. But as he did this, he was blasted by a massive amount of energy causing him to teleport away.

 

"J…Josh." Neku whimpered

 

Joshua then groaned

 

"You just can't stay out of trouble can you?" he said sternly

 

Joshua held in his right-hand dozens of blueberries that he found in the forest and walked up to Neku with them.

 

He than sat down and prepared to eat them and then saw Neku wheezing in pain. He then sighed and held out his hand to Neku.

 

 

"Go on, eat up. These berries have healing properties for the Players to heal themselves in between their fights in the Angels' Game. You clearly need these more than me right now. " Joshua said a little annoyed

 

 

Neku then managed to sit up and grab a few of them from Joshua. He was so weak that he didn't bother questioning him or wondering why Joshua was helping him. After eating some of the blueberries Neku felt better and got his strength back.

 

"Thanks" Neku said weakly

 

Joshua then smiled and lets out his sinister laugh

 

 

"it was nothing Neku, no thanks necessary. After all we can't have you being this weak in the Game now can we?" he said darkly

 

 

"Y-Yeah…I know" Neku said hanging his head knowing what could happen to him.

 

 

He then stood up and did his focusing pose to stabilize his energy. After that, he opened his eyes and then told Joshua what was troubling him

 

 

"Joshua...there's something else that happened too. Before you showed up, I saw Clarissa" he said while clinging to his right shoulder

 

 

Joshua then places his left hand over his mouth and right hand in his back pocket

 

 

"Hmmm, well that is a common issue playing the Angels' Game. Sometimes Players become so anxious that they recreate what bothers them as illusions. Another issue is that sometimes their energy becomes so out of control that their Player Seal may begin to crack. While the seal cracking is very rare. It has happened from time to time. There's nothing we can really do about that. You should focus on the Game for now, and try not to feel like giving up Neku" Joshua said sternly

 

"Yeah, guess that's all I can do for now" Neku said with his left hand upward and right hand in his pocket

 

 

Neku then felt his timer zap his left hand again and Joshua did at the same time. They both noticed that the timer had lessened since the first day.

 

 

"it's time Neku…remember that you're on your own. I have to take care of myself too." Joshua said sternly

 

 

"yeah…I know Josh. I'll see you when the Game's over." Neku replied

 

 

They both then ran out of the Crystal forest and went into the portal of the Safe Zone, exiting it to enter the battle field and were immedeiatley attacked by Angels. Joshua shot his Composer Energy at the Angels sending them flying back. Neku unleashed his energy with the same result.

 

 

He then took the time that they were recovering from the attack as a chance to focus his energy, by doing so his energy surged like fire again making him a lot stronger. He then teleported himself behind an Angel and tackled him to the ground, the Angel then shot energy at Neku, only to have him block it.

 

"You're not gonna kill me!" Neku roared

 

He then blasted such a powerful amount of energy at the Angel, that he had to revert to his human form. He then shot more energy at Neku only to have him slash through the energy and get close to the Angel.

 

Neku then held the Angel by his shirt and charged energy in his hand and allowed it to surge like lightning. The Angel then closed his eyes knowing he was going to Fade.

 

"I don't have any other options, this is the only way for me to survive." Neku thought

 

He then shot the energy at the Angel causing the human form to fall to the ground dead and dissolve into his energy making Neku look in shock

 

"H-How did I do that?" Neku said looking at his hands in shock

 

As Angels and Fledglings clashed in combat more and more of them began to Fade away. Due to the extra kills the Angels achieved on the first day, the Players were reduced to eleven out of the twenty Players that started out in the Game.

 

 

The Angels, which were originally forty, in the beginning, were now reduced to twenty-nine due to them exhausting themselves as they fought causing some of the Players to be able to make them Fade.

 

 

Neku in the midst of all of this was being attacked by Hunters as six of them shot Angel energy at him making him scream as the energy felt like fire burning against him. he rolled on the floor as he wheezed in pain and another Angel walked up to him as he laid on his right.

 

 

"Mr. Hane...ko...ma" Neku wheezed

 

 

he then sees Mr. H generate energy in his hand

 

 

"Nnngh! don't...Nnngh! please...don't" Neku whispered

 

 

Mr. H, filled with remorse then shot energy at Neku as he screamed in pain making him roll onto the ground laying on his back. Mr. H then flew towards Neku and was about to shoot him again but, Neku then stood up and clenched his right arm with his left hand and extended out ns right hand and shot out his energy as white fire outlines in dark blue at Mr. H causing him to dodge the attack.

 

 

Mr. H then flew towards Neku while charging his Angel energy in his right hand. Neku then generated a dome of his energy by extending out both hands and blasted Mr. H away.

 

 

seeing how the sky was beginning to grow a little darker Neku started to run to the Safe Zone to get a little closer but Mr. H shot an arrow of energy at Neku making him scream as he fell onto the ground face first.

 

 

Mr. H then laid on his knees on top of Neku's back with his left knee and placed his left hand on the back of Neku's head holding him down while he generated lightning in his right hand

 

"Don't! Don't do this Mr. H!" Neku thought

 

Mr. H then gave Neku a warning to sort of help him, even if he's a Hunter

 

"Don't let yourself get caught like this! Escape no matter what" Mr. H said telepathically

 

he then gets up and shoots the lightning at Neku making him shield his face. as he did this Mr. H made his energy miss Neku by a few inches and flew to a Player not to far from Neku. Confused he then lets his arms go down and looked in shock at Mr. H

 

"Mr. H? why did he...wait, what he said to me...thanks Mr. H" Neku thought

 

at that moment a Hunter blasted Neku from behind making him roll on the ground landing on his right side. As the Angel stood in front of Neku, he then focused his energy again and unleashed his dome of energy again sending the Hunter flying away, making Neku get to his feet noticing that the Angel began to fly back towards him.

 

"Gotta try something!" Neku thought while in his fighting stance

 

he then placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes and generated spray paint cans and pressed the nozzles down generating his energy as lava, making it dark blue as it flew towards the Angel. The Hunter tried to dodge the lava but it burnt some of his body causing the Angel to fly away from Neku.

 

At that moment he noticed the sun began to set and the Angels were slaughtering the Players.

 

Due to how other than a Composer, only a Higher Mind's energy is strong enough to fight them to an extent. It's because of this that they were then drastically reduced to eight Players. Neku then was frozen as he saw so many people Fade at once.

 

"No…I…I can't do anything?! Everyone's Fading…were getting killed…this is just like when Sota and Nao died…I'm a Higher Mind…Joshua and I are the only ones that stand a chance against them…I have to help them somehow right?! I…Rrrgh! I…have to look out for myself but…NO! I CAN'T JUST LEAVE THEM!" he thought

 

He then started running towards another Player who was screaming in pain as an Angel attacked the Fledgling. It was a 17 year old boy, completely defenseless. As Neku ran faster and faster trying to help the boy, unaware that an Angel was flying right behind him. He felt someone pull him by the back of his hair and slam him to the ground landing on the back of his head. someone had beaten the Hunter to Neku. When Neku saw who did it he gasped out of fear.

 

"hi there kiddo, I didn't get to introduce myself when we first met. I figured before I kill you that I should get to know you a little." the serial killer said smiling

 

Neku then instantly stood up and began backing away from him

 

"My name's Kenta Fujimoto. I was born and raised in Japan and lived in Okinawa, and then moved to Tokyo and moved to Shibuya when I was 18. I went to college started, a family…and then after I had two beautiful daughters…I killed them and my wife as well. I went to jail and eventually was released…do you want to know what I did?" Kenta said casually

 

Just knowing the fact that this man lived in the city he did, made Neku speechless as his eyes trembled.

 

"This...this guy...he's killed people?! And...he lived in, Shibuya...just like me?" Neku thought terrified

 

Kenta then sighed

 

"It's very rude to ignore someone when they speak to you" he said frustrated

 

But Neku was still silent. he wanted to open his mouth, to scream to do anything but, he couldn't. Neku now realized he wasn't fighting a mere Player, he's fighting someone who's committed multiple murders, and liked doing it. He was face to face with a serial killer. Neku then began backing away, trying to see if he could escape

 

 

Kenta then reached for Neku's collar and squeezed it suspending Neku in the air and then threw him to the ground stomping on Neku's chest making him scream in pain. with Kenta's foot now ontop of his chest he then whimpered in pain as he felt his chest being crushed

 

 

"AWNSER ME!" Kenta demanded stomping on Neku even harder

 

"AAAAAAAAGH! Nnngh! S-Stop!" Neku wheezed

 

"ask me what I did" Kenta demanded again

 

The insane killer then took his foot off of Neku allowing him to get up

 

"Nnngh! wha...what did you do?" Neku said weakly as he became pale

 

"I rode some of the little trains in Shibuya…had some food there, walked along the…what was it called? Oh yeah…the Scramble Crossing…and then I rode another train…and started killing the passengers. so it is because of this I was thrown in jail…for life. well I told you about myself…so what about you? I'll pretend you never met me earlier, just for the sake of being polite" he said smiling while generating a butcher knife in his right hand.

 

Seeing him do this made Neku's eyes widen afraid he might use that knife on him.

 

Kenta noticed that Neku was silent and got angry

 

"ANSWER ME WHEN I'M TALKING!" he roared

 

(since Angels saw they were going to fight none of them interfered and allowed the Players to duel each other while killing other Players)

 

"I-I…I'm Neku, …Neku…Sakuraba." he said weakly

 

"Hi Neku… and where are you from?" Kenta said smiling

 

"I'm…I'm from...Shibuya." Neku replied

 

"Oh, well that's interesting…that means I could've killed you when I was alive" Kenta said with a dark tone of voice making Neku's eyes widen

 

"Now then…now that we've gotten to know each other, how about I show you what it's like to be cut into little pieces?" he said as he raised his butcher knife to Neku

 

filled with confusion and terror, unlike he's ever felt, even in the Reapers' Game, Neku then rose to his feet and began to back away from the killer

 

"W-Why?" Neku said weakly "Why did you let me get up?"

 

Kenta then wore a devilish smile as he held the knife

 

"Run, run away from me" he said darkly

 

"what?" Neku said stunned

 

He then swings at Neku over and over causing his friends to scream their concerns at their portal as they watched Neku dodge the swipes.

 

He then tried to shoot lightning (not a lightning form of his energy, but pure lightning) at the knife but Kenta used his mind to make the knife unbreakable. Realizing this, Neku then decided to use his mind to fight the serial killer. He summons lightning in his hand and starts shooting bolts of lighting at the man, only to have him deflect the bolts of lighting with the knife.

 

"what?! How's he able to react that fast?!" Neku thought

 

He fired again and again but he couldn't hit Kenta, he then wasn't sure what to do next and started to run to the Safe Zone to get some time to think of a strategy to kill his opponent. Seeing this as his chance to kill Neku he then ran after him.

 

"what can I do?! My energy doesn't affect him! My mind's all I've got now! I…I've gotta think of something! Dammit! I'm not gonna lose here! I can't! I have a lot to go back to! I can't let them down like that…they all fought to save me from my demon energy…and…Shiki…I…I promised you I'd be okay…and I will be." he thought strongly

 

He then stopped running and focused his energy again causing his energy to surround him and surge like fire. With a snap of his fingers Neku summoned two large speakers and used them to amplify what he was about to do.

 

Neku began to scream and used his imagination to make the pitch go higher and higher until it sounded like audio feedback. He unleashed a blast of sound that sent the killer flying, and also caused him to drop his knife.

 

"Now's my chance!" Neku thought

 

He then ran towards the knife since it was a few inches away from Kenta. As the killer began to get back up he saw Neku running, and assumed he wanted his weapon. Kenta then smiled and tackled Neku to the ground.

 

When his friends saw this Rhyme began to feel her eyes water and squeezed Beat's hand.

 

"Neku…you have to make it out of this!" Rhyme thought

 

"No! Neku!" Shiki screamed

 

"He's gonna be okay! He just has to!" she thought

 

Beat and Eri both looked at each other and cried wishing they could be there to help him.

 

When Kenta tackled Neku, he then pulled down his funnel collar and began choking him. Kenta was an extremely strong man, with the physique of a football player and had huge hands. Which he took full advantage of when he squeezed Neku's neck causing him to wheeze and gasp for air.

 

 

He knew that he had to get that knife no matter what. Neku then blasted the killer with his fire like energy and ran to the knife as the killer went flying, wheezing and coughing as he ran. When Neku finally picked up the knife he saw that the man had disappeared.

 

 

Neku walked around slowly as he held the knife glancing left and right to see if he could spot him. Neku then turns around…to see no one behind him. He then let's out a sigh of relief.

 

"He's gone." Neku said weakly

 

As he began to run to the Safe Zone portal, he felt a gust of wind with such impact that it was like he was punched in the face, and was sent flying. He landed on his back and dropped the knife from the impact of the fall and felt someone squeezing his neck.

 

Neku desperately moved his hand towards the knife trying to grab it. But that only made the grip around his neck tighten to the point Neku's eyes began to widen as it became harder to breathe.

 

"NOOOOO! I can't make it stop! if I was a ghost I could cancel out the feeling choking to death!" Neku screamed in his head

 

Kenta then uncloaked himself to personally watch Neku suffer. Neku reaches for the knife just barely touching it with his fingers and then finally grabs it engulfing it with his energy. He then throws the knife at the insane killer causing it to go into his chest making it leak out dark gray energy outlined in red.

 

"You? You…k-killed me?" he said just beyond a whisper

 

As Neku panted trying to catch his breath he then answered the killer

 

"yeah…I...Nnngh! I don't know how I...did it. but...I...Nnngh! I...guess Spirits are affected by...things made...by other spirits...I...really don't know, just a...lucky guess" Neku said weakly while clasping his right arm

 

"heh, that was…pretty good…Ne…ku…you've…killed before…haven't you?" Kenta said weakly

 

"Yeah…but…unlike you, it was…out of self-defense. Kill or be killed…in…the Reapers' Game…I…I had to kill Reapers to protect myself." Neku replied

 

"Good, do that here…and y-you may last…the whole Game." Kenta said smiling

 

"thanks for giving me...a chance to feel the rush...of killing...one last...time" he whispered

 

Kenta then dissolved into sparks of dark gray orbs outlined in red.

 

"huh? Was he possessed by a Demon this whole time?" Neku thought

 

He then rose to his feet and hanged his head unaware that another Angel was flying towards him charging up energy

 

"It was Anthony wasn't it? He was trying to kill me. Or...was that just who Kenta is? A guy extremely close to becoming a demon. That's pretty fittig for a killer I guess" he thought concerned

 

"Neku!" he heard someone scream.

 

It was Joshua he then sent a gust of wind to him and sent Neku to the Safe Zone.

 

"Now I can help speed up the Game" Joshua thought

 

He then unleashed a massive dome of energy blowing up the Angels caught in the blast, reducing the Angels to fifteen Angels. Several of the Angels that were tired all reverted back to their human forms only to have Joshua dial numbers on his cell phone to summon cars to crush them. The Angels that remained all fled, including Mr. H and then Joshua and the remaining Players went to the Safe Zone. He then walked up to Neku and crossed his arms.

 

"Neku you know that you can't let your guard down…right?" Joshua said sternly

 

"yeah I do." Neku replied

 

"Then why did you try to help that kid? She was already done for. Her fate was decided, and yet, you were putting yourself in danger again. If I hadn't sent you to the forest an Angel would've killed you just now. I know that you can't bear to watch people die in front of you Neku, especially since you saw it happen multiple times in the Reapers' Game, but you CAN'T help anyone. You need to look out for yourself." Joshua insisted

 

Neku then got to his feet and shook his fist at him

 

"How can you say that?! You've been looking out for me since yesterday, since the first day Josh! How the hell do you expect me to just look out for myself when you're contradicting yourself by helping me?!" he roared furiously

 

Joshua then pulled back his hair and smiled

 

"Hee hee, Oh, so you want me to leave you to die? Hee hee. that's because you're kind of my responsibility Neku. You're MY Proxy, MY pick. That's why you played the Proxy version of the Angels' Game. Should a Composer's Proxy commit a crime in the Higher Plane, the punishment is that the Composer who chose to use that person, for whatever reason, due to their potential, is killed. I chose you to fight for me in my bet because of how powerful your imagination and energy is…your Soul, Neku. Higher Minds have the potential to exceed my power and you know that. So it's because of this I can't afford to let you Fade…

 

He then let's out his evil little laugh

 

"MY...precious little Proxy." he said smiling

 

Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar only showing his bangs, with his hands in his pockets.

 

"If…if that's really the only reason you're doing this…then…why did you help all my other friends save me when I was Damien? And you helped me again in the trial…so…why? Why do you keep putting yourself at risk?" Neku said hurt

 

"Again with this question? Hee hee, I already told you that I had my own reasons, and that I've grown fond of you." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets smiling

 

"BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! YOU KEEP HELPING ME AND KEPT SAVING MY ASS FROM DEMONS WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE! SO WHY?! JUST TELL ME JOSHUA!" Neku screamed shaking his fist again feeling enraged

 

"AM I APART OF SOME PLAN YOUR'E HIDING?!" he added

 

"Hee hee oh Neku you have such a strong temper…look, you should be happy that I'm even bothering to help you. if anything, if I really was your enemy…you'd be dead right now…well more dead than usual. Hee hee, I could easily make you face Soul Obstruction right now if I wanted to. We talked about this earlier remember?" he said with a smug smile with his hands in his back pockets

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar and hands in his pockets as Joshua lets out his creepy laugh again

 

"What's wrong? It seems all the commotion from today must have made you forget what I said earlier. Understandable I suppose" Joshua said with his left hand in his back pocket and right hand on his chin

 

for a minute there was silence between them as Neku really took everything in, feeling doubtful, wondering if Joshua sees him as nothing more than a tool to be thrown away once it's outlived its usefulness

 

"You...You could...kill me? just like that? it'd be that easy for you?" Neku said weakly

 

"Of course" Joshua said flicking his hair "After all, I AM a God of Death Neku. it comes with the territory, being a master of death"

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar and hands in his pockets

 

"yeah" Neku said a little nervous

 

"It's like I told you before, we're not Partners, but just consider me an ally. After all, alliances have been made in past Angels' Games…so…just don't worry so much Neku. You killed off a really strong Fledgling. You're actually doing pretty good without a partner. But it's not like I'll be able to back you up all the time Neku…you HAVE to fight for yourself…and no one else." he said smiling

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed and looked up at Joshua

 

"Yeah…I guess you're right…I…I still can't believe it…I beat that guy" he said in shock

 

"And that's good Neku we have one less Player which means we'll get closer to the end this way." Joshua said smiling

 

"Yeah but Josh…he…he lived in Shibuya...he could've….killed me, or Shiki…Rhyme, Beat or Eri. I never knew how sick they looked. How…how deranged their eyes were, it was like he was hungry…like he was craving to see me in pain…and the way he acted…it was like it was all fun for him, he told me about how he moved to Tokyo and everything…I'm just glad he's gone." Neku said weakly

 

"Hmm I suppose you simply encountered a crazy person Neku. Most criminals hide in plain sight and seem totally normal. So in addition to having a thirst to kill, he was mentally insane, and yet here you are Neku…you survived. That man wasn't possessed by a demon by the way, that was all him, and you still killed him. Just try to remember what I said from now on alright?" Joshua said sternly

 

"You can't go running around trying to save a Player that was hunted, especially since it makes it even easier for Hunters to target you with you being distracted. Once they're caught…it's over. If you keep diving into situations like that, you WILL face Soul Obstruction. In fact, it's the easiest, and fastest way to get yourself killed. So just be careful Neku." Joshua said crossing his arms again

 

"Yeah…I'll focus only on surviving…nothing else." Neku replied

 

They both got into their little spots in the forest to rest again since it was night time, noticing how the timer had reduced drastically reading: 90:32

 

It then vanished from their hands

 

"Alright…I've got this! I can't lose…I just can't I promised Shiki that I'd come back…I can't let her have to hear some sort of news where I Faded in the Game or something…she's already been through a lot…it's the least I can do for her…especially since I got her dragged back into the UG in the Reapers' Game" Neku thought a little worried

 

"Mr. Hanekoma...you were chasing me...I know you're a Hunter in this Game but...I don't care, I'm not gonna fight you…I don't know if you're watching over me right now but…if you are…please just let all of them know…that I'm in this to win, and that I'll beat this Game too." Neku thought

 

He then began to close his eyes and woke up from hearing Mr. H's voice telepathically

 

"I will Phones" he said softly not wanting to frighten him

 

Mr. H then telepathically sends Neku's message to his friends making them all smile at Neku as they watched him in their portal.

 

"Hang in there Neku…we're all rooting for you." Shiki said aloud

 

 

To be continued…


	20. The Ruined Break

THE 3RD DAY

 

The sun rises on yet another day in the Game with Neku and Joshua sleeping soundly, eventually Joshua wakes up first and goes within the forest to find more blue berries for him and Neku to eat. As Neku slept he dreamed of being with his friends again…it was through his perspective so the dream felt so real, that he thought it was happening.

 

They all smiled and laughed as they walked around Shibuya. It was something he loved, something he craved for, to the point Neku wouldn't mind sleeping forever if it meant being with his friends again. He also dreamed of Mr. H and him spray painting graffiti together.

 

He slept like a baby, so at peace, and so calm that he didn't move a muscle with the only acception of the little movement of his chest moving up and down as he slept. His friends all smiled seeing how peaceful he was.

 

"Heh, heh I hope you're having sweet dreams Neku." Shiki thought smiling

 

Beat then turns over to Rhyme smiling

 

"It looks like Phones's finally resting yo. I'm glad deserves it" he said happily

 

"Yeah…I'm glad Neku's okay…after what happened yesterday…I'm just glad that he's safe." Rhyme said smiling

 

"Me too…I just hope he gets more moments like this throughout the Game" Eri said cheerfully

 

As Neku slept some more he woke up from the sound of someone's footsteps. He instantly stood up and turned around in his fighting pose and noticed he was a spirit again.

 

"Show yourself!" Neku roared as he generated his energy as orbs in each hand

 

"Hey take it easy, is that any way to talk to a friend?" a male voice said

 

Hearing the familiarity of the voice caused him to gasp and allow his energy to dissolve.

 

"No way! That's…that sound's like…is it really him?!" Neku thought

 

The person he was talking to then approached him revealing that it was Neku's old friend altering his presence so only Neku could see him but since Neku's partners from the Reapers' Game are apart of him now that he's energy, they were also able to see the person thanks to their connection to Neku. The Higher Ups remark on this situation, talking about how they've seen Players cloak themselves to escape being spotted by Angels before

 

"Taki?! What're you doing here?!" Neku said excitedly

 

"heh heh, hey man…it's been a while." Taki said smiling

 

He then walked closer and sat down causing Neku to do the same.

 

"I came here cause…I didn't want you to see me well… looking like this. I'm half Spirit, half Demon. I'm…a creature that's not supposed to exist." Taki said hanging his head

 

"What?! How can you say that?! Human Souls aren't supposed to become Angels…and yet me and all my other friends did." Neku replied

 

"well yeah…that's true but…Angels aren't considered monsters…they're not freaks like me…I stopped halfway through the process of becoming full Demon. That's why I look like this." Taki added

 

"Wait…back up. What made you turn into this anyway?" Neku said curiously

 

Taki then turned his head and sighed

 

"In a messed up sorta way…it was…you." Taki said sadly

 

"What?! What do you mean?" Neku shouted

 

"Heh, after I pushed you out of the way of the train…and getting myself killed, I woke up in a white room, and it lead into foggy version of the universe or something and I saw I was getting sucked into a Spiral Galaxy, touched an orb of light, and the next thing I knew I was in the Higher Plane. I looked back at my past life…and I saw how you were suffering, how seeing someone die in front of you affected you. It was almost as if you thought it was your fault or something. Seeing you like that Neku…it made me feel like crap." he said sadly

 

"I wanted you to see me again… I wanted you to know I was okay. My grief began to overwhelm me and tear my mind and soul apart. I was losing myself and becoming a Demon. I never wanted you to feel so hurt man. But…then I saw you get shot in Udagawa…and then I saw how you began to change from being in the UG. Seeing you make friends, helped me let go of my sadness and stop the transformation." Taki explained smiling

 

"I felt some strong energy nearby and wanted to find the source…heh heh, and the next thing I know it led me to you man." he added

 

"My…my new friends? They…helped you too?" Neku said in shock

 

"yeah in a way…I guess so. Those are some pretty amazing people there Neku. They both helped us heal from the crap that we've been through y'know?" Taki said happily

 

"yeah…they really are amazing. Beat, Shiki, Rhyme, and Joshua. They all really helped me understand things…that I just couldn't. Without them…I wouldn't have been able to open up my world…heh, by doing that, I made even more friends. Mr. H and Eri…Mr. H is just so rad! He's been there for me so many times in the UG and in the Higher Plane, and Eri has been there for me too, she's always trying to support me. I'm really glad I met them…they're all part of my world now…that's why…I'm not gonna lose this Game. I have to go back…for them." Neku said strongly

 

"Ha, ha, man you changed so much, but...for the better. I remember when you would only want to hangout with me 'n stuff and how you would ignore everyone in school. To hear you say that…it's awesome. I'm glad you got better." Taki added

 

"Heh, me too." Neku added

 

He then heard footsteps once again causing Neku to gasp

 

"Is it some human soul that wants to kill me?! I've gotta focus on surviving I can't trust whoever I see…well except Joshua and Mr. H of course." Neku thought

 

At that moment Taki then vanished. The Higher Ups then discussed what they saw, finding it interesting that a half-spirit, half-Demon hybrid was in the game and since they're rare, allowed him to live, in order to observe him.

 

"huh?! Wait! Don't--

 

Neku saw his friend become black smoke and then evaporate

 

"…go." Neku said hurt

 

He then hanged his head and hid his face in his funnel collar with his bangs covering his eyes, and had his hands in his pockets.

 

"Taki…why did you leave again? I…I…Rrrrgh! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN YEARS! WHY?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE?! DON'T YOU GET THAT I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT YOU BEING HALF DEMON?! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU MAN…JUST…just…come back." he thought saddened by his friend leaving.

 

The footsteps got closer with them revealing the person to be Joshua. He had dozens of berries in two bubbles he made. He also noticed Neku hiding his face again.

 

"Hm? Something's troubling him? I wonder what it is?" Joshua thought curiously

 

"Hee hee, What's wrong? You're hiding your face again…I know that means something's troubling you." he said smiling

 

Neku then raised his head

 

"Huh? Is my body language really that easy to read?" Neku said weakly

 

"Mhm…I doubt you'll tell my what's wrong but it does help to express one's self Neku." Joshua said as he walked closer

 

He then sat down and hovered one of his bubbles over to Neku which then popped.

 

"Um…thanks…" Neku said weakly as the blueberries fell to his hand sitting down as well

 

"So…um just wondering how did you know these berries weren't poisonous Josh?" he asked

 

"Hm? So we're just going to ignore the fact that you were sad a moment ago?" Joshua said curiously

 

"No…I…I just wanted to know how you knew I'd be safe eating these, then I'll tell you." Neku answered

 

"well alright…being a Composer gives me many abilities as you know, one them is mastery over death itself. It's because of this I can do drastic things like making humans die in a car crash, or have someone fall to their death…or less gruesome deaths like being poisoned. So I can expand my abilities over death to something as simple as detecting if something is toxic or deadly. Simple really." Joshua replied

 

"So that's how you knew? Man that's insane Josh…could I do that too?" Neku asked

 

"Yup, with enough training you could see all the possibilities you could have as a Composer." Joshua added

 

"Now then, why is it that you were sad just now?" he asked

 

"huh? Why do you care Josh?" Neku asked

 

"Hee hee, I don't…I'm just curious as to what made you feel that way is all." Joshua replied

 

Neku then sighed

 

"You still suck at giving straight answers." he thought

 

"I…I just saw someone that's all…someone I haven't seen in a while so…I wanted to talk to that person…but before we could really catch up…the person went away. That's all." Neku replied

 

"Oh, that Takato guy?" Joshua replied

 

"Huh? How did you--

 

"I'm kind of omniscient Neku…I can sense energy all around me." Joshua added.

 

"Oh…yeah…just another Death God ability huh?" Neku said smiling a little

 

"Yup. Say Neku, have you figured out why the Game hasn't started yet?" Joshua said smiling a little

 

"Hm? You mean you don't know?" Neku said curiously

 

"Hee hee, of course I do. I just want to see if you do." Joshua replied while beginning to eat his blueberries

 

"well…I don't. I guess it's another slow start? That they always start this way?" Neku replied also beginning to eat his berries, remembering how they actually helped him feel healthy

 

They both chewed their berries and swallowed them before talking again

 

"well you're technically right Neku. See since the Angels' Game doesn't have as many rules as the Reapers' Game, it's much more chaotic and no two Angel Games play the same way" Joshua explained

 

"Sometimes the Players last longer, causing the Break Period to be moved to a later day, or like in our case, where the Players are getting slaughtered and the Angels are winning, the Break Period is moved usually to the third day in an attempt to make the Game last the rest of the week and the total amount of Players that Angels are allowed to hunt is two per day.." Joshua replied

 

"So during this break the Angels can't attack us right? Is that how the Safe Zone works in general too?" Neku said urgently

 

"Yup that's exactly it Neku. So loosen up there's no need to be so tense" Joshua said laid back

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed

 

"Yeah …guess so." Neku remarked smiling

 

At that moment they both felt their hands zapped with their timers

 

"Nngh! Wha…A timer?! Joshua what the hell?! I thought you said we had a break?!" Neku yelled angrily

 

Joshua then laughed at Neku's unawareness of how the Game works

 

"Yes that's true Neku, we're on a Break Period but this is still considered as a day in the Game which is why we have the timers again." Joshua replied tauntingly

 

Neku looked at the timer again and noticed it was going down by 10's this time it read as: 80:15

 

Joshua noticed that when he looked up, Neku seemed troubled

 

"Hm? Something wrong?" Joshua said curiously

 

Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar again.

 

"Joshua…you know more about this Game than I do so…what happens when the timer reaches zero?" Neku asked afraid of it being like erasure

 

"well…you don't need to worry about that since, it only reaches the final minuets on the last day…due to how the timer starts to decrease drastically faster on the fifth day. Anyway, what happens is, since the last day is when the last Players and Hunters are alive…or rather…in the Game, we all fight to the death." Joshua said nonchalantly

 

Hearing Joshua say such a thing made him flashback to his trail, and made his eyes widen with fear while feeling chills go down his spine.

 

"A…A fight to the death?! But Josh nearly killed me with one blow in the trail! No! It can't end like that…if it does I'm screwed! Joshua…he…wouldn't do that...right? Even if he can't admit it…we're friends…I know it…cause he's proved it to me. And…Mr. Hanekoma…there's no way in hell that he'd lose the Game…so…it's gonna go down to me, Joshua and him! We're the only ones strong enough to beat the Game…No…it…it can't end like that." he thought horrified

 

Neku then sighed and tried to calm down due to how he was starting to feel anxious at the thought of having to kill CAT and Joshua. But then, he couldn't help but feel his eyes sting at the thought of having to kill CAT, just like when he thought Mr. H was the Composer of Shibuya

"What if…the last people left can't pull it off? What happens then?" he said weakly

 

Joshua sees how this is disturbing him and wonders how Neku will deal with the last day of the Game if he survives that long.

 

"well…then the Higher Ups come and they kill the weakest Player…the one who fought the most poorly in the last battle. The one who shows…that they can't kill the enemy." Joshua said seriously

 

Neku then raises his head and looks at Joshua in shock knowing that if he didn't kill Joshua or Mr. H (if they're the last people in the Game) that he would Fade.

 

"No…that's really how it ends?" Neku said just beyond a whisper

 

"Mhm, don't be so anxious Neku you're doing pretty good for a new Player. Some of the other Players here have more experience than you since, they have watched the original style of the Game, so they knew what they were getting thrown into. But you on the other hand…a Human Soul thrown into an unknown location, facing opponents on an entirely different level than what you're used to, have proven that you are able to adjust very well to your surroundings. You're also a lot stronger than you realize Neku." Joshua said smiling

 

"Huh? What do mean?" Neku said confused

 

"Are you feeling okay Neku? You really haven't noticed?" Joshua replied curiously with his hand on his chin

 

"oh alright…I'll explain" he added

 

"think about the time you trained with Shiki and Mr. H to become stronger. Do you remember what Mr. H did?" Joshua asked

 

"Yeah…he shot Angel lightning at her knowing that I'd react to it…I…I protected Shiki from it…I actually blocked his energy." Neku said still amazed that he pulled that off

 

"exactly Neku. even if Mr. H is powered down in his human form, the fact that you were able to do that says a lot" Joshua said pleased

 

"You really think so?" Neku said a little shocked

 

"Well that does seem to be the case" Joshua said with a smug smile

 

"and how about the time when Anthony nearly killed you and then Mr. H and I came to protect you?" Joshua added

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"Anthony…is he watching me right now?…what does he want to do to me? What's he planning?" Neku thought concerned

 

"I…I remember…I saw you and him getting hurt…Anthony was attacking you two. I…just hated seeing both of you getting hurt because of me…I…I felt so angry and determined to make that stop that the next thing I knew I didn't feel weak or in pain anymore and my energy surged around me like fire." he replied

 

"Hee hee, exactly Neku. The moment you were able to let go of your concern and focus on determination, focusing on being strong, your energy reacted to it. The moment you feel the need to protect what matters to you, you become empowered by your energy feeding off of that powerful feeling" he explained

 

"The mind is capable of many things so, take advantage of that during this Game. Even if you become nervous, or doubtful, focus on staying strong to survive. Don't let your yourself feel uncertain. Do that and you'll be able to unleash the true power of your Soul Neku." Joshua said with his arms crossed smiling

 

"my true power? My Soul is really that strong? The only thing that's been holding me back this whole time…was…my doubt?" Neku said shocked

 

"That seems to be the case Neku. That's why I chose you, because of your high level of imagination. That's why you can do things like blocking angel energy while in their human form, and burn Demon Skin…but anyways let's go to a more…lighter subject hm? We should enjoy the time we have on our break, hee hee." Joshua said slyly

 

"yeah so uh…what do you wanna tell me?" Neku said curiously as he got to his feet

 

"well I did something rather funny yesterday." Joshua replied as he also got to his feet

 

The two boys then began to walk around the Crystal forest making sure to stay close just incase they were attacked on break.

 

"So what did you do that was so funny?" Neku asked

 

"well yesterday…I woke up early and saw you sleeping so peacefully. It was rather interesting watching you since I don't really need sleep anymore you know?" Joshua said chuckling

 

"Uh-huh…watching me sleep…that's not creepy at all, just when I thought I was getting use to you…you do this." Neku said a little annoyed with his left hand on his waist and right hand towards his face

 

"Oh really? That's not even the best part. You were in such a deep sleep that you eventually began to drool so…I…took a picture of you." Joshua said nonchalantly

 

Neku then instantly stopped walking frozen in shock

 

"what?…you…you actually?" Neku said surprised

 

Joshua then took out his phone and scrolled to the picture

 

"see, there you are, sleeping like a little baby…hee hee" Joshua said smiling

 

"Grrrrr! GIVE ME THAT!" Neku roared shaking his fist

 

"Not until you say the magic word" Joshua said teasingly

 

Neku then took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head and then exhales slowly

 

"Please…" Neku muttered

 

"Hee hee much better Neku. That wasn't so hard was it?" Joshua said amused by Neku's annoyed facial expression

 

He then holds out the phone to an enraged Neku who speed walked over to him and snatched the phone away.

 

"Now to get rid of this awkward picture." Neku thought

 

He then pressed the delete button causing it to disappear, only for it to reappear a split second later. He turned his head towards Joshua with sharp, intense eyes, glaring at him to the point, if looks could kill, Joshua would've died the moment they made eye contact.

 

"I could do this all day Neku." Joshua said teasingly

 

"Rrrgh! Just let me delete the damn picture you little snot! This is just…well look at it! It's embarrassing! I'm deleting this NOW!" Neku roared

 

Joshua crossed his arms and sighed

 

"oh fine…you really know how to ruin my fun Neku." Joshua said sternly

 

He then pressed the delete button again to see that it didn't reappear again

 

Neku then let's out a sigh of relief.

 

"If my other friends are watching over me…I really hope they didn't see that pic" Neku thought

 

"there happy now Neku?" Joshua asked shruging

 

"yes much better." Neku replied with a smug smile with his left hand on his waist while holding Joshua's phone

 

He then tossed the phone back to Joshua.

 

They walked deeper into the forest when Joshua suddenly felt something

 

"Um…Neku…I...kinda have to use the bathroom." Joshua said sheepishly

 

"Use the bath…

 

Neku's eyes then widened with shock

 

"What?! How would you do that Josh?! There's no bathrooms in a forest! You're not hinting that you're gonna…well…you know…right?" Neku said in his shocked pose

 

"Hee hee of course Neku. We're in the wild, so I'm gonna have to do that by a tree or something…now if you don't mind…I'd appreciate it if you gave me some distance. I can only hold this for so long and…

 

"WHAT THE HELL?! HELL…HELL…HELL?!" Neku screamed with his voice echoing angered by how Joshua was purposely going into detail

 

He then stormed off screaming at Josh without looking back

 

"YOU CAN BE REALLY MESSED UP SOMETIMES YOU KNOW THAT?!"

 

"Mhm…But you still see me as a friend riiiiiiight?" Joshua said as he walked up to a tree

 

"Rrrrgh! Shut it!" Neku roared

 

He eventually found a certain spot and sat down hoping he was far away from Joshua.

 

(Unknown to him however…is that being a hopeless little city boy, never being in a forest in his entire life, Neku ended up walking in a circle and ended up being only a short distance from Joshua)

 

He then heard the sound of unzipping and a tinkling sound

 

"Ahhhh, I'm in paradise." Joshua exclaimed

 

"Rrrrgh! Dammit Josh!" Neku roared

 

His friends who luckily never saw Joshua all laughed at how Neku's finally himself again, having a moment of peace being ruined from Joshua annoying him.

 

"Heh heh poor Neku." Eri said giggling

 

"Yeah it feels like we're almost watching a reality show of two totally opposite kids surviving in the wild." Shiki said laughing

 

"Ha hah, hang in there Phones, Prissy Boy's jus' messin' wid ya." Beat said smiling

 

"Yeah…we're all rooting for you Neku, just put up with Joshua's teasing a little longer." Rhyme said also laughing.

 

While the Players were on break, the Angels stayed in a hotel hidden behind a barrier within the playing field of the Angels' Game making the hotel invisible from the outside. Mr. H couldn't help but smile and laugh at how Neku was getting annoyed by Joshua.

 

"Don't worry Phones, this Game will be done before ya know it." Mr. H thought as watched him through a portal.

 

The two boys eventually began wandering the crystal forest hiding from other Players they see walking by. They eventually got so deep in the forest they were completely alone together.

 

As they did, Neku thought he should get some more berries to eat, or any other plant he could find in the forest to hopefully help himself feel better, like when he ate the berries before. As Joshua sees him walking away, he couldn't help but look at him confused, with his right hand on his chin and left hand in his back pocket.

 

"Um...Neku? what are you doing?" Joshua said curious

 

"What does it look like?" Neku said in an annoyed voice with his right arm out towards them "I'm gonna go get these berries since eating berries makes me feel healthy here"

Joshua then sighed

 

"Neku those are poisonous" Joshua said with a smug smile

 

"POISONOUS?!" Neku roared

 

"Yes Neku, poisonous." Joshua repeated "eventhough you're dead, being a ghost 'n all, the mind can still play tricks on people, so you'd still feel its side effects such as:

 

Joshua then continued:

 

"Vomiting, abdominal pain, dehydration, your heart to stop beating, destruction of your red blood cells...if you were in your human form of course, Vertigo, Diarrhea--

 

"WHAT THE HELL JOSH?! I didn't NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW IT EFFECTS MY CRAP!" Neku yelled shaking his fist

 

"I'm only trying to help you. It'd be terrible if something happened to you." Joshua said trying to sound innocent

 

"DON'T TRY TO PULL THAT CRAP WITH ME YOU LITTLE SNOT! I KNOW you're teasing me!" Neku said angrily

 

"now where was I?" Joshua said slyly

 

"Rrrgh!" Neku groaned

 

"ah yes, and lastly, one of the other side effects of a deadly poison being....dark urine, or black water urine" Joshua said with his hands in his pockets with a smug smile

 

"DAMN IT JOOOOSH! I don't NEED to know about my urine!" Neku shouted shaking his fist again

 

"But it's important to know the color Neku, it determines your health. Hee hee" Joshua said pulling his hair back

 

"THAT. IS. IT! I'm outta here! I'm gonna go find some food to help boost me up, without YOU!" Neku snapped

 

Joshua then chuckled as Neku walked away trying to find some sort of edible plants. as he got a certain amount of distance, Joshua couldn't help but roll his eyes

 

"Neku that's poison ivy, you'd feel like you have a rash" Joshua said

 

Neku then growled and walked further

 

"Poison Ivy again" Joshua shouted out

 

Neku walks further again

 

"that plant is poisonous" Joshua said sternly

 

Neku then saw a mushroom and knew that not all of them were bad

 

"Neku that mushroom causes hallucinations and is basically a drug" Joshua said teasingly

 

Neku then lets out a frustrated sigh. he then walked back towards Joshua, too proud to admit he was wrong, that Joshua's knowledge about poisonous plants was helpful. he then sees Joshua smiling at him and raised his right hand as if he was about to say something

 

"don't" Neku growled

 

"hee hee, yes sir" Joshua said teasingly

 

"Such a helpless city boy" Joshua said quietly, knowing Neku would hear it

 

frustrated knowing no matter what, Joshua would just tease him more, Neku simply ignored Joshua and walked forward, ahead of him. The boys kept walking around the forest once more with nothing but silence between them for what felt like half an hour, only to then get lost, having the youthful Death God and Proxy argue over where to go.

"Neku I'm telling you we need to head North." Joshua persisted

 

Neku then crossed his arms annoyed

 

"Oh really? and what makes you think that's the right way to go?" he snarled

 

"Because you've never been outside of a city before and would obviously not know where to go." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

"and on top of that we're lost, so I'm not gonna rely on a city boy who's never been in a forest to guide me back to where l was before." Joshua said slyly

 

"Rrrgh! I'm NOT a helpless city boy! We don't NEED to go North! We're gonna go South!" Neku yelled shaking his fist

 

"Neku we're lost just admit it." Joshua replied

 

"No we're not! we're fine, we just gotta walk around a bit and retrace our steps." Neku said defiantly

 

"Alright then, you lead the way Neku." Joshua said pulling his hair back

 

"Good I will." Neku said crossing his arm

 

they walked around the forest for what felt like hours

 

"Do you even know where South is?" Joshua said teasingly

 

"Ugh...that little snot! what does he think I'm stupid?!" Neku thought

 

"Yeeeees. in terms of a map and compass, South is downward, North is upward, East is like going to the right and West is like going to the left." Neku said with his left hand near his head and right hand on his waist

Joshua then sighed and shrugged

 

"I'm telling you we're lost and need to go North." Joshua said sternly

 

"And I'm telling you we need to go South!" Neku said annoyed

 

eventually, the two boys began shouting the direction at each other (well it more of Neku shouting really)

 

"North Neku." Joshua said teasingly

 

"South Joshua!" Neku yelled

 

"north"

 

"South!'

 

"North"

 

"SOUTH DAMMIT!"

 

Joshua then sighed

 

"Alright Neku, how about we go the direction we want to go and see who gets to our original resting spot first okay?" Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

Neku then took a deep breath and counted to ten

 

 

"Alright, good idea. I'll be back in no time Josh you'll see." Neku said crossing his arms

 

"Hee hee indeed we will" Joshua said smugly

 

they then walk in opposite directions with Joshua going to their original resting spot towards the edge of the forest

 

"You're lost Neku. hee hee just admit it, you're a helpless city boy." Joshua said telepathically

 

Neku then got so angry he yelled as loud as he could

 

"Rrrgh! For the last time Joshua, I'M NOT A HELPLESS CITY B--

 

Joshua then snapped his fingers teleporting Neku over to the edge of the forest seeing Neku shaking his fist causing the Composer to sigh

 

"You really need to learn when to let go of your pride Neku." Joshua said smiling

 

"MY PRIDE?! YOU LITTLE SNOT! YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY DON'T YOU?! AND YOU--

 

Neku then took three deep breaths

 

"calm down" Neku thought "I should be glad that I'm back here cause I'll be able to get in and out of the forest easier."

 

Neku then sighed

 

"Alright you win...I guess I am a helpless city boy alright?" Neku said with his left hand towards his head and right hand on his hip again

 

"hee hee apology accepted Neku" Joshua said pulling back his hair

 

It became night time once again with Neku and Joshua getting ready to sleep by their usual spots

 

Neku then looks at his timer to see that it had dropped again to reading:

 

50: 20

 

"It's starting to speed up" Neku thought worried.

 

"Don't worry guys…if…if it comes down to me, Joshua and Mr. H…I'll think of something. I can't kill them….I just can't. I wonder what'll happen tomorrow…will I survive the next day? If they're any spirits like Kenta left…I don't know if I'll make it. But…I…I WILL make it! I have to…for Shiki…for…everybody." Neku thought

 

He then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

 

To be continued…


	21. The Poser

THE 4TH DAY

 

As Neku and Joshua slept in the forest the moon illuminated the forest casting a faint light over it allowing some spirits who stay up at night to get an edge in the Game will stalk other Players. Neku drifted into a deep sleep and dreamed of a suppressed memory, it was something he had faint memories from in the Reapers' Game that didn't resurface until now.

 

It was through a first person perspective like he was in the Game again. He saw himself in front of a burgundy door that lead to the Composer's Pad where Megumi waited on the other side to kill Neku. As he approached the door with Shiki and Beat following him, Shiki noticed how pale Neku was due to him feeling afraid.

 

_"Neku are you okay? You look so pale." she asked concerned_

_"I'll be okay…" he said reassuringly_

_The three friends then walked within the door as it opened and entered the Composer's Pad with Shiki saying something that he overlooked_

_"I know this place!" she exclaimed_

_Shiki then notices Megumi in the room and was filled with shock_.

 

_"it's him!" Shiki said startled_

Megumi then snapped his fingers triggering the mind control of the red skull pin making her scream. The scream grew louder and louder to the point it felt real, like the dream was really happening. Neku gasped out of fear while simultaneously sitting up due to the dream scaring him awake.

 

"SHIKI!" Neku cried

 

He then noticed how choppy his breath became from how scared he was. He then took a deep breath and sighed

 

"It's just a dream" he thought

 

"But…Shiki…did she really say that? I know this place? It's him?!…that would mean that…no…Dammit! When Shades took Shiki away tricking me into thinking she was brought to the RG, he…he must've brought her to the Composer's Pad! Rrrrgh! What if that freak hurt her?! What if he did something to her?! I could've helped her! WHAT DID HE DO TO HER?!" he screamed in his head

 

Picking up on the intensity of his thoughts Shiki couldn't help but blush

 

"Neku…I never knew how much I meant to you…But I'm fine, just focus on the Game okay?" Shiki thought wishing he could hear her

 

Eri picking up on Shiki's thoughts and smiled at her

 

"heh heh, I think he really likes you Shiki." Eri giggled

 

"Huh? Well of course he does! We're friends Eri!" Shiki said defiantly

 

"Oh come on! You know what I mean." Eri insisted

 

"The way he opened up to you and hinted that he was hurt by friends in the UG, how he began to talk to you more, and how he supported you saying you can live out your own life, Neku REALLY likes you! Plus whenever we hang out in the RG and you get all clumsy and trip, he instantly tries to catch you. Heh he always looks out for you Shiki! I think…you really mean the world to him." she added happily

 

"I…mean the world to him? I was his entry fee and all so…Neku…heh heh, I guess in a way you're right." Shiki said smiling

 

Beat and Rhyme smiled at each other agreeing with Eri

 

They all then turned their attention back at Neku to see him laying on the forest floor again looking at the full moon in the sky

 

"Heh heh, I usually don't get to see the moon like this since everything's so bright in Shibuya…even at night. It's…kinda pretty. It looks sorta like that white orb that sent me to the Higher Plane…and that orb that separated my soul from my body. I don't really need sleep since I'm dead but…still I guess time will go faster if I rest so I can get this stupid Game over with." Neku thought peacefully

 

He then yawned stretched out his arms, and then went back to sleep. As he drifted off into a deep sleep a person on the other side of the forest was leaping off of tree branches searching for someone that could be killed so the Game could be closer to ending.

 

"I sense two very powerful energies near by…I have to take out the source before facing them in combat, it's the only way to ensure that I win. I can't lose…it would be an embarrassment to my honor." the person thought.

 

As the person leaped through the trees, the person eventually came to a stop and took a deep breath and closed their eyes. The person then opens them to have the person's eye color change to a violet color. This mysterious person was a young adult woman at 20 years old with pale skin.

 

She wore a blueish black suit with a dark gray chest strap on her chest for her dagger and with shoulder pads of the same color, and sports tape around her arms. She also had leather armor pads for her thighs with sports tape wrapped around them with straps storing kunai and shuriken towards her lower back and her hands had blakish blue tinted hand warmers.

 

She also wears a darkgray cloth over her head like a hat to keep her purple-gray hair short hair still and wore a matching mask. she wore black boots with a blue tint as well. She analyses the energies in front of her and was in shock over her discovery.

 

"What?! He's here?! …why is the Composer of Shibuya here? And this boy sleeping on the ground…he has such powerful energy within him…and on top of that can store multiple energies…Hmm, very few spirits can harness such power…this means that, this boy must be the Composer's Proxy. I can only imagine how powerful he really is. I saw him kill that Angel a few days ago, and the crazy blood thirsty man the day before we were on break…and all of that, was with him powered down. to make this easier…I'll take him out now." The woman thought

 

She then pulls out a Ninja weapon made for both long and short range attacks called a Kusari Gama. A scythe-shaped weapon attatched to a metal chain for the Ninja to use to throw and strike at the enemy. She then aims her Kusari Gama at Neku's back, hoping to tear it open and do an instant kill attack.

 

His friends all watch horrified as their friend slept peacefully, something that enraged Beat.

 

"No!….Phooooones! Wake up man! That ninja girl's gonna kill you yo!" he shouted

 

Beat then felt his hands tremble with rage as they balled up into a fist.

 

"I told him, that I'd be there for him yo. He's right there…an' I can't back him up." Beat snarled

 

 

Eri then looked at Beat filled with sadness

 

"Beat...please don't be so upset. Neku's gonna make it." Eri thought

 

Beat then looked at Eri, hearing her thoughts

 

 

"You sure Eri?" he said weakly

 

 

Eri then looked at him and smiled

 

 

"Yeah, I'm sure. Neku's a tough guy...not like you but...you know what I mean" she said with  a chuckle

 

 

Beat then smiled and chuckled too. Rhyme then placed her hand on Beat's shoulder.

 

 

"Don't worry beat…Neku will be okay. I know he will." Rhyme said cheerfully

 

But deep down inside she also knew…that Neku was in danger, that he could easily fade away right now causing her to look down filled with sadness. They then turn their attention back to the portal to watch Neku and Shiki began to squeeze Mr. Mew tighter and tighter out of fear for Neku's safety, causing her eyes to water as they all see the person about to kill Neku in his sleep

 

"No…no, please…don't do it." Shiki said quietly

 

"NEKUU! WAKE UP! PLEASE! SHE'S GOING TO KILL YOU!" she screamed

 

Eri then turned over to Shiki and hugged her

 

"He's gonna be okay Shiki…I know he will!" Eri said crying too

 

The ninja then threw her scythe at Neku, expecting it to slash the sleeping boy making his energy burst out of him, only to have it blocked by a flash of light and knocked the weapon out of her hands. The girl then turned her attention to Joshua to see that he had his hand raised and that it was glowing white outlined in gray.

 

He then gets up and smiles at the girl.

 

"hello there…mind explaining what you were trying to do just now?" Joshua said sarcastically hoping that his voice could wake Neku

 

"Ugh…Josh what're you talking about?" Neku mumbled

 

He then opened his eyes at sat up causing the girl to go for her strap again to get multiple daggers out.

 

"Hmph don't bother" Joshua said slyly

 

He snapped his fingers freezing the girl in place

 

Neku then gasped and turned around to see what Joshua did.

 

"Joshua what's going on?!" he exclaimed in shock

 

"this girl here tried to kill you." Joshua explained as he picked up her fallen Kursari gama placing the handle and scythe back together, making it hide the chain

 

"A scythe? No one fights like this anymore…what is she? Some kind of cosplayer?" Neku said while raising his left hand by his head

 

"heh, that maybe the case. Either that, or she may be a real ninja from the Edo period." Joshua explained

 

"Edo period?" Neku repeated confused

 

Joshua then lets out a frustrated groan

 

"ugh Neku, don't you pay attention when learning about your own country's history?" he said frustrated

 

"yeah but it's not like I remember everything they tell me." Neku said scratching his head awkwardly

 

Joshua then sighed

 

"And you call yourself a local. The Edo period is the part of Japan's history known as the time period of Ninja and Samurai. Edo was also the original name of Tokyo." Joshua said a little annoyed

 

He then explained that he can sense she is the daughter of Senji Uwada, another person in her family obsessed with traditional Japanese weapons.  Joshua also adds that the way she fights reminds him of real ninjas

 

Neku then scratches his head

 

 

"So she's just some Ninja wannabe? kind of lame" he said feeling a little embarrassed for this girl

 

the mysterious girl then broke her stoic personality and became very annoyed

 

 

"Rrrgh! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I may not be a real Ninja, but I'm still cool! I'll show you what I can do when we fight for real and make you BELIEVE IT!" the girl said flailing her arms with anger

 

 

Neku scratches his head again

 

"Uh...she doesn't seem as threatening all of a sudden" he thought

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

"I doubt that...you may think you're as skilled as the real ninjas of the edo period, but you're just someone obsessed with Japan's ancient methods of fighting" he said with a chuckle

 

 

Neku then crossed his arms

 

 

"Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder," he said with a sigh

 

 

"Mhm. That's quite a statement. I feel like I should tell you that she may use another tactic. Real Ninjas don't always wear ninja suits and will more often than not, hide in plain sight wearing civilian clothing." Joshua said darkly

 

Hearing how he would have to worry about potentially hiding anywhere, Neku hides his face in his collar causing Joshua to look at him curiously

 

"So...on top of fighting the Hunters, I have to deal with some ninja girl that could be hiding anywhere?!" he thought as he started to feel anxiety

 

"Neku? Are you…okay?" Joshua asked

 

"Y-yeah…I'll be fine." Neku said hiding his face.

 

"this girl…she may not be a real ninja, but...she could fight just as good as a real assassin?! How am I suppose to beat someone who fights like she's been taught to kill her whole life?! No...doesn't matter. I've got this. I'm not gonna let her kill me. It'll take more than just some girl posing as a Ninja to stop me" Neku thought trying to reassure himself

 

Joshua then turned towards Kyoku and snapped his fingers causing her to vanish from throwing a smoke bomb.

 

"You sure she's gone?" Neku asked a little nervous

 

"yeah get some rest Neku." Joshua insisted

 

"Alright, thanks Josh." he said weakly

 

"Hm? What for?" Joshua said curiously

 

"For protecting me…you didn't have to do that you know." Neku said while clasping his shoulder

 

Joshua then smiled at Neku

 

"Well it's like I told you Neku, I've grown fond of you…so the afterlife would be rather boring if I didn't have someone to annoy." he said slyly

 

Neku then chuckled

 

"Yeah…" he said smiling a little

 

"I wonder if Joshua will ever…be able to say that to me…to accept that I'm his friend?" Neku thought

 

They then closed their eyes and went to sleep with the sun eventually rising starting the fourth day. They did their usual routine of eating berries for energy and waited for their timers. Joshua had to tinkle again and left Neku alone as he watched his timer go down again with it reading: 40:59

 

"The timer's going down fast…I gotta rely on my energy. I…I've fought for my life before…so I can handle fighting an assassin. Heh…I even managed to kill a serial killer…even though it was more of me getting lucky than anything else. Still…I've got this! I'm in this to win!" Neku thought strongly

 

He then stood up and did his usual focusing pose

 

"Open up your senses" Neku said quietly

 

He then opened his eyes to see himself surrounded by his energy flowing like an aurora borealis. After flowing for a few seconds it then disappeared.

 

"alright, as long as I can unleash my energy and not let my concerns hold me back I'll be okay." he thought reassuringly

 

As Neku sat down and waited for Joshua he then felt an intense pain on his right shoulder causing him to scream. Anthony was weakening the seal on his shoulder and unlocking his demon energy, however he was trying to overwhelm Neku with the energy so Shiki could watch him die. His screams grew louder and louder as he squeezed his shoulder in pain.

 

"No! I don't want to lose control like this! Nnnngh! It…it hurts!" he screamed

 

Mr. H sensed how the demon energy was starting to kill Neku and began to tear his energy apart. He knew that Anthony was interfering with the Game which wasn't allowed. Despite how he wanted to help Neku, he knew that he was a Hunter and had to treat Neku as prey, so he merely kept an eye on Neku from where the Hunters rest, a hotel that was cloaked so no one can enter it in this version of the Angels' Game but the Hunters.

 

 

The demon energy was overwhelming him to the point that there was black fire all around Neku, he had patches of demon skin on him and his eyes were red without any pupils, he was severely close to going back to being Damien, the twisted monster that almost killed his friends.

 

"I'll overwhelm him a little more, make Neku become a full demon with no control again, and then push him even harder to the point the little Fledging is overwhelmed by the energy…and he breaks apart and Fades right in front of Shiki." Anthony thought smiling

 

as his pain worsened, the Angel teleported to the crystal forest to keep an eye on Neku. 

 

 

"I hate having to just watch him in pain like that...it's like whenever Joshua is in pain, it just doesn't feel right letting them be hurt. But, I can't...as a Hunter I have to view him as something to hunt and kill. Plus...in a way, he needs this. Come on Neku, I know you're strong enough to control this. Although Anthony is stronger than Clarissa and can manipulate Demon energy, you can manipulate it too Phones!" Mr. H thought worried for his friend

 

 

sensing Mr. H's thoughts, the Head Maestro and the rest of the Higher Ups agreed to let Neku suffer this time, to force Neku into a situation where has to get control

 

"Nnngh! It hurts...Make it stop!" Neku cried out cringing in pain

 

 

"Damn it! If a Player finds me like this, they could kill me! and...what if, Joshua saw me like this? Would he help? and...Mr. H...he's still a Hunter so...I'm on my own!" he thought worried

 

he then screamed as he felt the demon skin spreading more and more over his body

 

"I don't want to be that again!" he yelled "I can't!"

 

cringing in pain he then flashes back to when he saw Shiki dying in front of him as he held her in his arms in the Demon Lord throne room

 

"I...I did that to her! Shiki had to push herself to the brink of Fading away just to bring me back! and I nearly killed them all, my friends! I was about to kill them until Joshua showed up!" Neku screamed in his head

 

hearing his thoughts, Neku's friends looked down sadly, seeing how that moment hurt him so badly

 

Neku then remembered what he looked like, when he was Damien and saw that image in his head

 

"NO! Not again, never again! I don't want to have to use Demon energy unless I really have to! I gotta practice using my Angel energy more, I have Angel energy inside me too! I have demon energy but I can control it now! Focus, I've got this! I know I do!" 

 

As soon as thought about how he wanted to be in control, Anthony, through his own portal in the Demon Lord throne room, looked in shock, as the Demon skin began to dissolve, making his screams go to whimpers, and the black demon fire began to dissolve. The moment this happened, Neku's friends couldn't help but smile

 

"He's really doing it!" Eri shouted

 

"That's what's up yo! I know you got this Phones! Keep it up man!" Beat said happily

 

"Neku! keep fighting it!" Rhyme cried out

 

"You can do this Neku!" Shiki yelled 

 

 Neku then remembered meeting his friends for the first time in a week at Hachiko and Joshua shielding him from Sho's Level I flare

 

"It's cause of them, they're the reason I'm back, and I can't fail them. I don't want to let them down...all of you, my Partners, my friends...I gotta control this, for them" Neku thought firmly

 

the moment he did, the demon fire and skin completely dissolved and he opened his eyes, which made his friends smile as they saw his eyes return to their normal color.

 

"how did he...it's the seal. The Player Seal not only locks the energy, but weakens its strength to try to prevent things like this from happening so the spirit is forced to rely on their energy and nothing else. I see...so he can push the Demon energy back when it's weakened? fine, I'll just have to increase the corruption even faster, and I can even increase the speed with weaker Demon energy too." Anthony thought

 

At that moment, Joshua then returned and saw Neku laying on his hands and knees panting out of breath. Neku then stands up and sees Joshua looking at his Player Seal

 

"Hm? it seems that your Player Seal has cracks on the wings design" Joshua said with his left hand on his chin and right one in his pocket

 

"Yeah" Neku replied clenching his right arm "That was Anthony again, he was trying to consume me with Demon energy and make me become a demon again, but I managed to fight it off, somehow"

 

Joshua kept that curious look on his face and then chuckled placing his hands in his back pockets

 

"Good work Neku. Seems that you're getting better at that, even if a Player Seal tones down the other energies within a Player in addition to locking them, that's still quite an accomplishment. You know, Anthony may have even given you an edge in battle. You could use the demon energy in addition to your energy, since you can control it when Anthony isn't corrupting it" Joshua said slyly

 

"What?! Screw that! I'm not gonna rely on that to win!" Neku roared shaking his fist 

 

he then sighed and crossed his arms

 

"Not only could I get in trouble for using energy other than my own in this Game, but I don't want to use Demon energy unless I really have to. I don't want to have to rely on it" Neku said firmly

 

Joshua then shrugged and then lets out his creepy laugh and pulls his hair back

 

"I suppose I could understand your reasoning for thinking that. After all, it wasn't that long ago that you were completely possessed by the energy, ensnared within its power. Hee hee. We wouldn't want that happening again now would we?" Joshua says teaing Neku

 

Neku couldn't help but feel frustrated and hide his face in his bangs and hands in his pockets

 

"What's with this guy? If I didn't know any better, by the way he said it, it...almost sounded like Joshua _wants_ me to be possessed again. DId he like it? Did he think it was funny? Yet this is the same dick who also fought to save my ass from them. Rrrgh! why can't he just make up his mind" he thought frustrated 

 

 

Not long after that conversation, the Angels' Game started again and it became much more selective with only two Players killed as the Game began.

 

"Six Players left…and twenty-nine Angels…I have to reduce that! We're the underdogs in this Game. if I don't stop the Hunters then...it's all over for me" Neku thought darkly

 

He then tried to remember the Angel that attempted to kill him with energy that had a sharp point to it and recreated it with his energy, something that amazed Beat.

 

"Phones…dat's the attack the H-man taught me! Heh heh! That's what's up man! You got this Neku!" Beat shouted

 

Rather then shooting the instant kill energy like the way Beat was taught, Neku slashed as many Angels as he could when they were close enough and took advantage of how he doesn't have the density of his human form to make him stuck to the ground and leaped over 10 feet into the air slashing more and more Angels with it.

 

"Twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty seven, twenty-six…Rrrgh! Dammit it's not enough!" Neku thought as he charged at more Angels.

 

As he ran towards more Angels and slashed three more, Neku then recreated his psychs and recreated his dash psychs at such inhuman speeds, it was like multiple Nekus were slashing at the Angel and he then teleported above the one he's fighting and shot energy at the angel and teleproted to the ground and fired lightinging at it, blasting the Angel away.

 

"I...I really did it, even with recreating my psychs!" Neku thought with a smile

 

Luckily for Neku Joshua was manipulating his Composer energy to kill more Angels in his human form.

 

He dialed numbers on his phone to send Angels hurdling to the ground beneath the weight of cars and soda machines. Once the Angels reverted to their human form from being severely weakened by the objects, Joshua then summoned an Automatic Pistol and shot them all in the head letting out a sinister laugh.

 

They both kept killing determined to cut the number of Hunters in the Game short, and since they weren't allowed to kill more than two Players per day due to the scarce amount of Players left, there was nothing they could do.

 

Due to them killing so many the Angels were reduced to eighteen Hunters. A beam of white energy outlined in red (to disguise the demon energy) was also attacking Angels alongside Neku.

 

"Huh? Red energy?…Takato…thanks" Neku thought smiling

 

Thanks to his friend's help the Angels were then reduced to eleven and time went flying as the fight continued and the sun began to set. The Angels backed off and the remaining Players all returned to the forest. As Neku began running back he felt a gust of wind slash his right arm.

 

"Nngh! What…what just happened?" Neku whimpred while clenching his arm.

 

The slash happened again but three times. One on his left arm and one on his stomach.

 

Neku then got into his fighting pose and generated two orbs, one for each hand. Anthony then thought that it would be a good chance to activate the Demon energy to weaken Neku and start to consume him, to sort of help who ever is trying to kill him.

 

Neku then felt dizzy and his orbs dissolved into sparks

 

"what? I…I feel so weak…but why?" he thought

 

He nearly faints but clenched his left arm using it as a crutch to keep him steady.

 

"I...I've gotta run! I can't fight feeling this way!" he screamed in his head

 

As weak as he felt, Neku tried to run to the safe zone only to feel that stinging wind send him flying back as he felt a slash on his right cheek. The blow sent him flying landing on his back.

 

Neku gets up only to feel a massive amount of slashes coming from every angle. He'd look to his left, and get slashed, to the right, slashed again, behind him, and slashed again. The slashes then increased in speed causing him to feel like someone was cutting him dozens of times without stopping.

 

Neku screamed in pain as he felt overwhelmed by the slashes. He then felt himself fall to his knees and felt someone pick him up by his funnel collar with their left hand and began choking him. The person then revealed itself to be Kyoku with her usual dark purple eyes like Joshua.

She then closed her eyes tightening her grip on Neku's neck making sure he doesn't escape and opened them to reveal her violet eyes which granted her abilities other than sensing energy, it gave her a boost in physical strength, energy, and her imagination.

 

She then electrocutes Neku with her energy while simultaneously sheathing her Katana with her right hand. He let's out a woeful scream as he was in so much pain that he was crying.

The fearsome poser shinobi then reached for her strap on her right arm and grabbed a dagger and began stabbing Neku's chest, and then stabbed his left arm, at the fore arm, and twisted the dagger over and over causing his energy to leak out of his arm tiny orbs.

 

By now Neku was wheezing in pain

 

"s-stop…it…hurts." Neku said just beyond a whisper

 

Kyoku merely smiled at him and said something that sent chills down the spines of his friends.

 

"Don't worry little Fledgling, your pain will be over soon." she said softly

 

His friends starred at the portal with their eyes locked on Neku…who was barely conscious.

 

"Neku…" Shiki whimpered as she began to cry

 

She then generates a clone behind Neku and threw multiple daggers down Neku's lower back, he was so fatigued that he couldn't even scream as the blades hit his back…however the next attack was so painful that regardless of that fatigue he screamed in agony.

 

"I…have…to…hold on…to…my…mind…I…I can't…pass out here…that's…what…she…wants…from…

 

He then felt his eyes close as he was finally ready to give in but just before he drifted into unconsciousness, she stabbed Neku in his back impaling him as it went through his back it was a few inches below where his ribcage would be.

 

(this is a technique she used when she played the Angels' Game before when facing a Player who's in a human form, due to the blade going through the spinal chord and avoiding any vital organs, rather than killing the enemy this puts trauma on the brain causing the person to collapse.This then causes her to be able to instantly kill the enemy while they're unconscious. Upon using this attack in the Higher Plane she adds her energy to electrocute the opponent and send them flying.)

 

While his friends watch Rhyme closed her eyes afraid of seeing such a gruesome image, and covered her ears as she heard the grinding sound of the sword sliding out of Neku's back.

 

Surprisingly, he was still conscious determined to not Fade and return to his friends. As his friends all cried seeing Neku so hurt they heard his thoughts making them all stare at the portal, including Rhyme.

 

"Beat, Shiki, Rhyme, Eri…I…I don't know…if I'm gonna make it…it hurts…it hurts to breathe…every time I wheeze…it stings…my whole body…I…I don't want to…leave you…I…don't want to…but…I can't…hang on…I'm at my limit…I'm so sorry...please…for…give…me…Shiki…I couldn't keep…my promise…

 

"NO! NEKU! DON'T THINK LIKE THAT! DON'T! PLEASE NEKU PLEASE DON'T GO!" Shiki screamed out loud

 

Kyoku then electrocuted him sending him flying to the safe zone. He was in so much pain that he was surrounded by his energy watching it break into little sparks.

 

"Mr. Hane…ko…ma…J-Josh…any…body…I…can't" Neku whispered

 

All he could do was curl into a ball wheezing in pain. overwhelmed with agony, Neku raised his left hand, seeing it tremble as he tried to generate energy to attack, only for it to come out as sparks, making his hand drop to the ground. The powerful ninja then unsheathed her Katana causing Neku to close his eyes

 

"Goodbye…you guys" he thought

 

"Hey! That's enough of that!" a voice cried out

 

A white ball of light appeared behind the wannabe ninja and became Mr. H while he simultaneously grabbed her by the wrist twisting her hand to having the blade point at her head, something that caused all of Neku's friends to look at him in shock.

 

"We're not at the last day of the Game! Yeah it's possible to do whatever you want 'cause of how there's practically no rules in the Angels' Game, but killing someone within the Safe Zone is not allowed until the last day! And you know that since you've played this Game before." Mr. H said sternly

 

Kyoku then nudged Mr. H causing him to let go of her hand, and she sheathed her katana once again, and then turned to Mr. H

 

"You can't do this! You're a Hunter in this Game! You can't protect this little boy!" Kyoku yelled

 

"Regardless of the Game's label of a Player versus a Hunter, I'm still a Guardian Angel, which means I look out for everyone, even you." Mr. H said crossly

 

"That doesn't matter here! I could easily attack you right now causing the Hunter's number to lessen once more!" she said enraged.

 

Mr. H then lowered his glassed while closing his eyes, he then opened them to reveal his pale gray Angel eyes and extended out his wings, since an Angel's power is stored in their wings like a Reaper, but in an Angel's case, the longer the wings, the stronger the Angel.

 

Upon seeing Mr. H's wings extend to 16 feet long, she became nervous and backed away eventually disappearing. Mr. H then allowed his wings to dissolve and regained his eye color for his human form, and turned his attention to his weakened, and severely beaten friend.

 

"He's still conscious?" Mr. H thought shocked

 

He then smiled and kneeled down to Neku

 

"heh heh, way to hang in there kiddo." Mr. H said proudly

 

"CAT" Neku whispered

 

"Don't worry Phones, it'll be okay" Mr. H said concerned

 

That last sentence came out as a whisper as Neku finally passed out

 

To be continued…


	22. Trust Broken

THE 5TH DAY

 

As Neku slowly regained consciousness he noticed he was alone 

 

He then tried to sit up but noticed how his body was still sore from the sword slashes that were on his body.

 

"Nngh! It…hurts." Neku shrieked

 

Managing to sit up, he then places his hands on his head and closes his eyes

 

"Focus" he muttered

 

Neku then thought about feeling better and wanted to no longer feel sore. As he did, the pain he felt then went away. Neku then opened his eyes feeling relieved. As he rested, sitting on the ground for a bit, he saw a white orb appear that became Mr. H

 

 

"Huh? What're you doing here Mr. H?" Neku said confused

 

Mr. H then chuckled and smiled at Neku

 

"Well, despite being a Hunter, I wanted to check up on you that's all" he said while scratching his neck

 

"R-Really?" Neku said shocked

 

"yeah, I had to leave and not stay as long as I would've liked. After all, you can't have any special treatment and I had to leave you wounded to an extent. But, I did keep an eye on you from my location, just incase some Players tried to kill you while you slept. This applies to other Players too. I like watching them just in case, to see how many Players we'll have left" Mr. H said patting Neku on the head

 

"heh, you're really good at your job Mr. H…if you hadn't had showed up when you did…it'd be all over for me." Neku said hiding his face

 

"and…on top of that…on the last day…what if…what if it ends up with me having to fight you? There's no way you'd lose Mr. Hanekoma…I know you wouldn't. so…what if you have to kill me?" he said darkly

 

Mr. H then hanged his head and sighed

 

"I wouldn't have a choice Phones…if it really came down to that, you'd have to fight as hard as you can to survive. I can't hold back, that's part of me being a Hunter in this Game…even if I'm a Guardian, there's only so much I can do before it's considered interfering with the Game. In fact, I took a huge risk stopping that Ninja from killing you yesterday, as a Hunter, I technically should've let you die" he said morosely

 

Mr. H then looked at Neku, still hiding his face, sad at the thought that Mr. H could get in trouble for being there for him and raised his head,  seeing Mr. H with his hand behind his neck smiling

 

"But don't worry about that now Neku…focus on how you're one day closer to getting this over with. I know you can do this kiddo." Mr. H said reassuringly

 

"besides in a way you nearly Fading yesterday was sort of a good thing if you think about it…you got to see at first hand how she attacks and now you know what to expect Phones. The next time you face her, don't let her catch you by surprise and if possible try to not let her use her weapons." he added

 

"yeah…that's true. I've seen what she can do with her weapons but not her hand to hand combat…since she relied so much on her weapons, maybe that's a sign that she isn't good at it." Neku said thoughtfully as he crossed his arms.

 

"Ha ha, good thinkin' there sport! You see? I know you can do this Phones, just remember what I told you before the Game began." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Yeah…to trust my energy and let it flow through me." Neku said smiling

 

"Yup…now I'm gonna head back Phones, and don't worry about  me, I'll be fine." the angelic friend said remarking on Neku's concern for his help

 

"Heh…alright…I'll see you later Mr. H" Neku said as he watched Mr. H become a ball of light and fly away.

 

When the ball disappeared from view, Neku then took a deep breath and sighed

 

"alright…time to get an edge over that ninja…Kyoku right?…I can't let her get that close to killing me again…I felt like my body was burning, like if Mr. H hadn't come when he did that, my Soul would've turned white outlined in blue…my body would've become my energy again…just like in the war." Neku thought

 

He then looked around and noticed Joshua was nowhere to be seen

 

"Huh? Where is he? He's usually in the Safe Zone with me but…come to think of it, I never saw him in the forest yesterday…did something happen to him? As powerful as Joshua is, he's powered down in his human form so…what if…what if an Angel got to him and…

 

Neku then took a deep breath and sighed

 

"No…Josh wouldn't Fade away like that…he…just wouldn't. But then, where is he?" Neku thought clasping his shoulder

 

As Neku wondered what could've happened to him, he heard wind blowing causing some leaves to fly by him sending chills down his spine from the cold breeze

 

"is it her? Is she trying to scare me?" Neku thought a little nervous

 

He then heard rustling in the bushes near by some other trees making him think that someone's trying to sneak up on him. He then got into his fighting pose and generated his energy as orbs again.

 

"Come out! I know you're hiding so just cut the crap and attack!" Neku roared

 

He then saw white energy outlined in gray fly towards him causing him to leap behind a near by tree (causing his orbs to dissolve from losing focus) and hide behind it.

 

Another beam of energy went flying towards him causing Neku to gasp and shield his face by forming an "X" with his arms.

 

The beam missed Neku by a few inches causing the top of the tree to come crashing down. He instantly opens his eyes and took a run for it as more beams of the energy started firing towards him. As Neku ran as fast as he could he felt the energy blast his back causing him to scream as he rolled onto the ground.

 

  
  
As he tried to get up he felt someone grab him by the back of his head and slammed it towards the ground. Neku then shot energy hoping to hit the person but when he got up no one was there.

 

He then heard foot steps causing him to look behind him, at that instant the person disappeared. Neku then turned around again to see Joshua generating energy as he tried to slash Neku. He dodges the swipes and tries to attack by trying to punch Joshua in the face, only to have Joshua teleport behind him.

 

Neku quickly turns around only to get tackled by Joshua and repeatedly punched in the face. He then grabs Neku by his shirt's collar and punched him in the face with so much force, Neku was sent flying.  
  
  
  
Neku's friends look in shock over this sudden change in Joshua  
  
  
"Joshua stop! You could kill him!" Shiki cried out  
  
  
"You're hurting Neku! Why are you doing this?! Didn't you fight along side Neku's friends to save him?!" Eri yelled  
  
  
they then see Neku scream in pain as Joshua began firing his Composer energy at Neku, making him smash through trees  
  
  
"This ain't funny prissy boy! What the hell you think you're doin' yo?!" Beat roared angrily  
  
  
"Why Joshua? Why are you doing this?" Rhyme said worried  
  
  
as Neku smashed his back into another tree, recoiling him forward, Joshua grabbed Neku by his face and smashed him face first onto the ground, only to then receive a blast of Joshua's energy to his back making him scream in pain again. Determined to stop Joshua, Neku then reached upward and grabbed Joshua's hands electrocuting him with his energy, making Joshua scream.  
  
  
Neku then gets up and instantly punches Joshua in the face five times and then blasted Joshua's chest with his energy, making Joshua scream again.   
  
  
  
"What the hell's wrong with you?! I thought you were my friend!" Neku yelled filled with confusion at Joshua  
  
  
  
He then chuckled and teleported away again, making Neku look around trying to think of from what angle Joshua would appear next but at the moment he looked to his left, a massive blast of Composer energy slammed into Neku, blowing up several trees within the Safe Zone causing Neku to scream as he smashed onto the ground and felt his body tremble as he tried to get up.  
  
  
"Why? Joshua you have to stop!" Neku said weakly  
  
  
At that moment, Joshua, amused by Neku's whimpers of pain seeing scratches and bruises on his prey's body and had scratches on his clothes, walked to Neku as his body trembled from the pain he felt. He manages to get up, using his right arm as a crutch while panting in pain. Joshua then disappears again, only to teleport right in front of him and try to strangle him.  
  
  
Neku then grabs Joshua's hands determined to make him stop, but Joshua merle smiled and laughed as he squeezed Neku's shirt with his left hand, and held his right hand out towards Neku's chest, making Neku look in shock as a dark blue mist came out of his chest towards Joshua.  
  
  
  
"Nnngh! J-Joshua! You're...draining my energy! W-why are Nnngh! Why are you doing this?! If you don't stop, this will kill me!" Neku yelled in frustration  
  
  
but Joshua was silent and merely laughed at Neku before once again disappearing, Neku then fell to his hands and knees panting out of breath. As Neku panted from the pain he felt, an intense shockwave that slashed Neku, tearing holes into his clothes, making him scream to the point of crying as he curled into a ball, wheezing in pain, with his eyes halfway open.  
  
  
Seeing this then made Neku's friends look terrified at Neku, knowing that Joshua was about to kill him. Even the Higher Ups began whispering to themselves, wondering if Joshua really did save Neku from being the Demon Lord, just to kill him himself, and although Joshua broke a rule since no one can attack a Player in the Safe Zone in this version of the Angels' Game, they were letting it slide since the rules of the game are very loose and change with each version.  
  
  
  
  
"He...he really wants me...gone? But I...I thought he was my friend? Has he...been using me this whole time? Just like...the Reapers' Game?"  
  
  
Neku then closes his eyes, ready to give in to fatigue and pass out.  
  
  
  
"Shiki...everyone...I'm sorry guys" Neku thought as he was about to pass out  
  
  
right when he felt himself begin to drift away, Joshua appeared letting out his sinister laugh as he charged a massive beam of Composer energy in his hand getting ready to kill Neku. Neku clenched his hands into a fist and began to push himself off the ground, whimpering in pain. The moment he was on his hands and knees, Joshua listened to Neku panting in pain, smiled, and then fired his energy.  
  
  
  
  
At that moment Neku stood up and shot energy at him and tries to block Joshua's energy with his own.

 

The two energies clash with Joshua smiling as he hears Neku whimper in pain as his energy started to give out and struggled to push Joshua's energy away.

 

"J-Josh! What're you doing?! Nngh! Why are you doing this?!" Neku cried

 

Joshua then let's out his menacing laugh at Neku and increased the strength of his energy. Neku then unleashed more of his energy causing his hands to burn.

 

"AAAAGH! JOSHUA STOOOOP!" Neku screamed

 

"Hee hee, such a Fledgling. Your energy has definitely gotten stronger, there's no doubt about that. But a Human Soul isn't as strong as a Composer Neku…there's no way…that you can win." Joshua said darkly

 

Neku's hands trembled as he desperately tried to push back Joshua's but he was starting to feel weak.

 

"No…I…I was able to push back Angel energy…Angels are stronger than Composers so…I've got this…I…I have to fight back!" Neku screamed in his head

 

He then took a deep breath and lets it go slowly

 

"Focus" he thought closing his eyes

 

"and open up your senses" he said aloud

 

Neku then opened his eyes to reveal them turning dark blue

 

As he concentrated his energy began to surge like fire and his hands no longer trembles as he pushed Joshua's energy back sending him flying, landing in the same position Neku was in before he was shot.

 

the energy then surged around him like fire as his entire body was dark blue while being black in the center and his eyes changed to having multiple shades of dark blue. Infuriated from Joshua attempting to hurt him Neku then walked closer to Joshua who was smiling as his progress.

 

"You're always full of surprises huh Neku? Hee hee, I'm impressed. Regardless of how you could only pull this off since I'm weaker in my human form, same goes for Mr. H too, and the Player Seal powers me down even further, still...this proves that you're getting stronger. No Human Soul, Higher Mind or not, is able to do what you did. Human Souls are the weakest form of energy. That's just how energy is." Joshua said as he got up

 

"what are you talking about Josh?" Neku snarled

 

"your energy has completely covered your body Neku, like it's some sort of armor, even though you're  _not_  strong enough to face me since you're just a ghost, still you've become very strong Neku. The fact that you energy can do this, even with my human form, proves that." Joshua explained his hands in his back pockets

 

"huh?" Neku exclaimed

 

He then looked at his hand to see it dark blue while being black in the center.

 

"whoa…he's right!" he thought amazed

 

As he calmed down the energy then flowed back inside his body

 

He then hanged his head overwhelmed with concern

 

"Even though my energy's stronger, I…I don't stand a chance against him? But, I was able to block Mr. H's energy to protect Shiki…so how come I…it's cause Joshua's powered down in his human form, and so is Mr. H, like he just said…if I have to fight them for real…will I really survive?" he thought worried

 

"Josh…I want to ask you something…and just give me straight answer alright?" Neku said hiding his face

 

"Hm? Why so demanding Neku?" Joshua said curiously with his hand on his chin

 

"Why?…Why did you do this to me? Even if you're powered down in your human form, as a God of Death, you're strong enough to kill me! I could've died! and...why weren't you there when Kyoku attacked me again?" he said darkly

 

Joshua then smiled sinisterly and pulled his hair back

 

"that's because I wanted you to get a taste of what this Game is really like, I've helped you out a bit, even though I shouldn't have…infact if I really wanted to, I could've killed you on the first day. That's why I did all of this, I was actually trying to kill you. If I had just gotten a few more hits in, you would've died. I wanted you to see what it would be like if we were really enemies. What you went through just now, is what the game truly is, you wouldn't survive fighting me." Joshua said slyly while pulling his hair back

 

Hearing his friend say that sent chills down his spine and his eyes to widen

 

"You…you mean…you've been holding back this whole time?" Neku said nervously

 

Joshua then let's out his sinister little laugh and walked towards Neku, causing him to back up from his menacing friend and eventually had his back against a tree.

 

"Mhm, all I'd have to do is snap my fingers and destroy your Soul Code…just like how I instantly broke your energy in your trial" Joshua said smiling an evil smile

 

He then generates a knife in his right hand snapped his fingers freezing Neku in place. He then snapped them again to make Neku have a dead human form, like him and walked closer standing face to face

 

"Humans are very fragile Neku…all I'd have to do is break your neck, and you'd die instantly…as for your Soul, the same thing could be arranged…I could choke you while I blasted energy into you and impale your chest, attacking the core of you as a spirit…Heh…you little humans are so breakable, so weak…that you'd might as well be made of glass. Now, this goes for me too since I'm human as well…

 

Joshua then laughed at Neku again and placed the knife against Neku's right cheek cutting him while placing his left arm on Neku's shoulder while holding the knife now away from Neku's face.

 

"But as you and I both know…I'm not a normal human." Joshua said quietly into Neku's left ear

 

His irises began to tremble as the warmth of Joshua's breath brushed against his ear making chills go down his spine.

 

"Remember this if we have to kill each other Neku…because I can break you…and from here on out…the Game will be a lot harder…you'll have to kill the Human Souls strong enough to have survived until now…and…the Angels. Make one little mistake, drop your guard even once…and odds are this  _will_ be your last day." Joshua said menacingly again

 

He then snapped his fingers, simultaneously unfreezing Neku and making him a ghost again and walked away.

  
  
"Have fun Neku" he said sarcastically

Neku was speechless, all he could do was breathe heavily out of fear knowing that Joshua could kill him so easily and how when Joshua had attacked him, if he had just taken a few more hits, he would've died.

 

"Oh…and don't forget Neku…everyone…is your enemy…and I mean  _everyone_. Mr. H will have to kill you if he gets to you Neku, on the playing field, and so will I…he CAN'T fulfill his duties as a Guardian…and I am still a Player, so I will kill you if I find you on the battle field, despite how I like keeping you around, it's part of the game. so fight as hard as you can…because anyone could face Soul Obstruction today." Joshua said as he walked away from Neku disappearing.

 

As Neku stood there in shock he closed his eyes and thought of Shiki and how she's always there for him when he's stressed out. Eventually thinking about her helped him calm down and even heal himself of all his wounds from Joshua's attacks.

 

Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar.

 

"Shiki…I…I just wish you were here…I don't know what to do…what if I have to kill them?!…I…can't…

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar fighting the urge to cry

 

"I don't want to kill them." Neku said sadly

 

 

He then felt a sharp sting in his left hand

 

"Nngh! It's time again" Neku thought while looking down at his hand. He saw that it read this time: 30: 22

 

"How did it drop from forty minuets and fifty-nine seconds…all the way to this?…it's…it's really starting now isn't it? …the last few minutes…before the last day." he said grimly

 

"Doesn't matter…I've survived this long…even though…part of it is because…Joshua wanted me to…but still…I fought on my own! I can't lose now…just two days left…and it's over." Neku thought

 

Four Players versus eleven Angels, Neku knew he was severely out numbered and since Takato isn't a Player he knew that he couldn't rely on him. If he helped too much he'd be exposed. As Neku ran towards the playing field he saw the Angels swarming the four players left other than him and Joshua and it was just like he said, they were strong enough to hold their own.

 

But unlike Neku…it wasn't because of powerful energy…it was because…the last few Players specialized in murder. An Angel attacked Neku slashing him in the face with such force that he went flying and rolled on the floor landing on his side when meeting its impact.

 

"they seem…even more hostile." Neku thought

 

He then got to his feet only to be hit again screaming in pain.

 

Another angel went after Joshua only to have him put up a better fight since Angel and Composer energy is right next to each other in terms of power…but for Neku…regardless of being a Higher Mind, the only thing that would save him, is a sort of adrenaline rush to increase his strength and power.

 

As he flew in the air from the impact of the attack the Angel then teleported behind Neku and shot his back causing Neku to scream again as he landed face first on the ground.

 

He tried to get up again as his arms trembled beneath his weight, but the same Angel attacking him pulled him up by his long spiky hair and shot Angel lightning at him causing him to scream again as he slammed on to the ground.

 

"I…I can't get a single hit in?! why?! I was able to do that before! Unless…they weren't at full power…and they were still that strong! It…can't end like this…I don't want…to…

 

He then felt his body become extremely weak.

 

"No…don't pass out here! Stay awake! STAY AWAKE!" he screamed in his head

 

He then extended his hand out towards the Angel that was flying towards him and shot energy at the Angel causing him to shoot energy back at him, since all the Angels were at their full vibe frequency Neku didn't stand a chance and was shot with the energy causing him to scream in pain. As he laid on the floor wheezing pain he heard a voice call out to him.

 

"what's wrong little boy? You were able to burn me with your energy…or rather sting me with it…but you can't fight these Angels? You're pathetic…and deserve to die…but you also should be grateful to my sister…because thanks to her…I'm going to put you out of your misery." Anthony said telepathically

 

His friends watched in horror as he squeezed his right shoulder overwhelmed in pain. His demon energy began to leak out of his control and started to destroy more of his Player seal.

 

 

The Higher Ups, who don't like people messing with the Game, knew that it simply couldn't stop because of one person losing control over their energy. But at the same time, they knew that it wasn't truly Neku's energy that was losing control and was aware of the illusion of Clarissa being due to the Demon energy.

 

In a rare act of sympathy, the Head Maestro Aiden decided to help Neku be more like a normal Player by removing this issue.

 

The wings on the seal cracked more and more until his friends saw his teeth start to look dog-like from him losing control over his energy. He squeezed his shoulder tighter and tighter clenching his teeth as he trembled in pain. 

 

As this happened, Aiden the Head Maestro looked at Neku's player seal, and the moment he made eye contact, it began to heal it, removing the cracks on the seal and removing the pain Neku felt

 

"Huh? I don't feel that pain anymore, like my shoulder was burning" Neku thought confused

 

Seeing this also startled Anthony as he watched from his realm, unsure of what may have healed the Player Seal on Neku, but guessed it may have been a stroke of luck for Neku, that his mind may have saved him, and decided to try again  later

 

 

The Angel then flew down to Neku and started walking towards him.

 

 

He opened his left eye to see the Angel move in closer while charging up his energy.

 

"NO! Don't…Don't get any closer!" Neku screamed

 

He then tried to get up only to fall to the ground again.

 

"I..I need to use my energy. If I don't, I'm screwed! That's part of the Game…Nngh!…I have to…" he said to himself.

 

He then thought about all the things he'd leave behind if he Faded in the Game, all the people he'd never see again. It was something that enraged him.

 

"Shiki…she told me she wouldn't abandon me!…and, Rhyme…I told her I'd get stronger…and Eri you've been there for me too, just like Beat…and Mr. H and Joshua…I…I can't lose now!" Neku thought

 

He then felt his body burning thinking that his demon energy was killing him but it was actually already weakening back to its Mongrel state of energy…what he was really feeling was his own energy. It surged like fire as it surrounded him, something that shocked the Angel and caused him to watch Neku wondering what would happen.

 

"Focus…" he thought while closing his eyes

 

Neku then opens his eyes revealing his irises to be dark blue, and had dark blue aura around him, and felt strong enough to rise to his feet, when the Angel prepared to attack Neku generated an orb in his right hand with his left hand on his head…to amplify his mind. The orb then surged like fire with streams of electricity surging around him and the orb.

 

"As long as I have something to go back to…as long as…they're counting on me…I'm not gonna let you kill me." Neku said softly

 

The Angel then shot his energy at Neku causing him to shoot his orb at the Angel, with a snap of his fingers the orb exploded causing the Angel's energy to get redirected and knocks back the Hunter.

 

 

the Angel then backs down and attempts to fly away as he targets another Human Soul, but as he does this Neku teleports in front of the Angel and blasts him with energy sending the angel flying.

 

 

He then attacks the Angel with such blinding speed that it was almost as if he was teleporting over to the Angel…however, Neku did this as a sort of dash…he was recreating his Psychs from the Reapers' Game.

 

He then placed his hands on his head and levitated into the air as he shot blue fire at the Angel, recreating his Blue Bloods, Burn Blue Pin. And recreated his swiping attacks with his Jupiter of the Monkey "K" pin. He then did the final blow with recreating another Psych

 

He kneeled close to the ground and charged his energy followed by leaping into the air and slamming the energy back down.

 

"Grrrr GET OUTTA MY FACE!" he roared

 

The Angel then dissolved into sparks completely shocking Neku.

 

"Huh? How did I…My energy…my whole body's burning but…it's warmth it doesn't hurt…alright…I have to keep going, this is as close as I'm gonna get to the Light Puck powering me up." he thought strongly

 

He and Joshua then attacked more Angels with them each successfully killing the Angels

 

Unknown to Neku is that his energy is in such a critical state of adrenaline, that it would be as if he went through the Light Puck passing back and forth increasing his strength up to seven times, making the energy of his Soul almost on par with a Composer.

 

 

As Neku attacked the Hunters firing his energy, another Angel blasted Neku with energy making him crash against the ground screaming in pain with his energy dissolving

 

The Angel then burned Neku with more energy to the point he screamed to the point he cried as his clothes and body burned getting bruises and slashes from the energy. as he flew away from the recoil, he crashed against the ground but thanks to his power surge he was able to get back up regardless of the pain he fetlt.

 

As they all fought each other, the timers increased their speed and two out of the four Players were killed. But thanks to Neku's power surge, he and Joshua reduced the Angels to seven with the odds still in their favor. Eventually, Neku's energy began to wear out causing him to feel weak and the darkblue aura vanished

 

"No…not now…I…I have to…keep fighting." He told himself.

 

He felt himself nearly collapse and caught himself using his right arm for support again. He knew he was in danger, he was panting out of breath and knew that an Angel could take him down. Joshua too was getting tired since he had cuts and bruises from having to fight locked in his human form. This caused another HUnter to target Joshua due to his fatique

 

Another Human Soul sensed his fatigue along with an Angel making it a race to see who would kill Neku. He sees the two opponents and started to run, regardless of how out of breath he was.

 

"it's…too much…using all that power at once…I…I'm in danger of Fading but…I can't get to the Safe Zone yet! The Game isn't over! Rrrgh Dammit! I…I need help but…Mr. Hanekoma…he can't and Joshua can't either! If Joshua found me like this he could kill me! I'll run…just keep running as fast as I can!" he screamed in his head

 

Neku panted more and more as he ran something that worried all of his friends as they saw his legs begin to give out on him. He was running slower as a Hunter shot energy at him missing Neku by a few inches.

 

"No! they're gonna catch him!" Rhyme shouted

 

"C'mon! pick it up Phones! I know you got this yo! You ain't tough like me…but you're tough with your mind man! You gotta run Neku don' you stop!" Beat screamed at the portal

 

"He…he jus' gotta pull through yo…he has too." Beat thought worried

 

Shiki squeezed Mr. Mew afraid of seeing the Angel or the other person catch up to him.

 

"Neku you have to keep running! Please! Pretend it's a mission so you run really fast, like the way you would in the UG!" Shiki yelled

 

"I…I just wish he could hear us." Eri said sadly

 

Unknown to any of them, is that during the last few days of the Game, friends of the Players can talk to them every now and then, and completely on the last day, as a way of saying goodye. As Eri and the others watch Neku feel overwhelmed with fatigue, Neku had finally had enough.

 

He couldn't run anymore, regardless of how he doesn't have muscles to strain, his body was so drained from those energy attacks that it made him ache just to run.

 

 

"I hear you" Neku replied smiling while panting causing his friends to look at the portal in shock

 

"thanks guys…I needed that." he said weakly

 

"Heh, no problem Phones…NOW GO!" Beat screamed

 

Neku then began to run regardless of the jolts of pain he'd feel. 

 

"I…I gotta go to the Safe Zone, the sun's finally starting to set. Just gotta pretend it's like a mission, like Shiki said! And right now, my mission is to get to the Safe Zone NOW!" he thought

 

He then looked at his timer to see it reading: 20: 59

 

"Dammit…the timer…" he thought frustrated

 

He started running towards the forest only to have Anthony get involved again (Only now Neku's friends can hear him when he speaks)

 

Neku felt a sharp pain in his head causing him to scream and fall to his knees.

 

"Neku what's wrong?!" Shiki screamed

 

"I…Nngh! I don't know! My…my Demon energy…it…it hurts." he screeched

 

The energy then increased causing him to feel like he's burning making him scream in pain.

 

"Don't worry Neku…I'll kill you before they even get to you…it'll all be easy…I can make all this pain stop if you let me" Anthony said nicely

 

"No! Phones don' listen yo! He's messin' with you man!" Beat shouted

 

Anthony then increased the demon energy again causing his irises to become red without pupils again and had a black aura around him.

 

"Neku!" Shiki screamed

 

The energy burned more and more causing the aura to dance like fire until Neku fell to the floor face first barley conscious. This then prompted the Head Maestro to heal the Player Seal again, making it slowly heal due to how Anthony is even stronger than him, which made it difficult

 

"s-stop…it…hurts." Neku whimpered

 

"I'll make it stop don't worry but you have to let me take control" Anthony said pleasantly

 

"Let…you…take…control?" Neku whispered

 

"yeah just let me take it all away from you." Anthony replied

 

"NO!" Neku screamed in his head "I can't fail them!"

 

Neku then closed his eyes and tried to push himself up and try to feel strong again. By trying to be strong, this also helped his Player seal heal faster along with the Head Maestro's help. Anthony then manipulated the fabric of Neku's shirt and tore it vertically and used his imagination to tear Neku's back open. This then attracted another Angel to kill Neku.

 

"NEKUUUU!" Rhyme screamed as loud as she could

 

"Neku get up! Please run!" Eri shouted

 

"Phones!" Beat roared

 

"Don't give up! Please Neku! Get Up!" Shiki screamed

 

Mr. H concerned for Neku then flew over to the two Angels in his human form and told them that he would kill Neku. This then caused the person wanting to kill him to back off.

 

The Angels then nodded their heads in agreement and took off.

 

Mr. H then approached Neku seeing his body tremble as he tried to get up. Pushing himself even harder, he finally managed to press his hands against his legs. As he does, the Player Seal then becomes completely healed and the black aura of Demon energy disappears.

 

"Just...hang in there" Neku thought pushing himself for them

 

"Just a bit more, I'm in no condition to fight, but I can at least run away!" he thought again

 

Neku then finally was able to stand up while panting out of breath using his right arm as a crutch

 

"I...I've got friends now...they're waiting for me" he said out loud

 

as much as it hurt, Neku then tried to open his eyes but could only open his left

 

Mr. H then smiled, proud that Neku fought the pain by thinking of his friends.

 

"D-Did I...Nnngh! Did I...really do it?" Neku said weakly to his Angel friend

 

Mr. H then chuckled, happy for Neku

 

"yeah, you really did Neku! I'm so proud of you!" Mr. H said with a big smile.

 

it then vanished, remembering that he's still a Hunter

 

"But...I...I'm so sorry" Mr. H said sadly with his hands in his pockets

 

"Sorry? Nnngh! Sorry for--

 

Mr. H then snapped his fingers making Neku pass out. Seeing Mr. H do this made Neku's friends silent, in total shock

 

Mr. H then gently picked up Neku who was unconscious and healed him as he held him of any remaining wounds and repaired the back of his shirt. An angel saw this from the Angel's hotel and asked what he was doing telepathically.

 

"I'm gonna let him take a run for it, I'm gonna chase him down." Mr. H replied

 

To keep everyone fooled Mr. H then placed Neku on the ground and generated angel fire in his hand hoping that the light would wake up Neku.

 

As he regained consciousness he sensed the light near him and opened his eyes to see Mr. H generating the fire.

 

"Nngh…Mr. H" Neku said weakly

 

He then finally had full consciousness and widened his eyes seeing his friend holding the Angel fire at his face

 

"run…" Mr. H said darkly

 

Neku overwhelmed with disbelief just stared at his Guardian friend.

 

Mr. H then picked up Neku by his funnel collar making him even more afraid.

 

"CAT…Why?" Neku thought hurt

 

"Do you want to die? If not, then run" Mr. H said seriously

 

He then dropped Neku causing him to get up and instantly run to the Safe Zone. Mr. H then ran after Neku shooting his energy at him, missing him by a few inches so that he didn't actually shoot Neku's back.

 

"Come on Phones keep going!" Mr. H thought

 

He shot more and more energy as he got closer to Neku, but to be more convincing, he knew he had to hurt him. Neku got closer and to keep up the act, Mr. H then revealed his Angel wings again and leaped into the air and flew over towards Neku.

 

As he did, he then charged up a white orb of his energy and made it so strong it crackled like lightning. He then fired a massive laser at Neku, hitting his back. The impact made Neku scream in pain and get launched forward and rolled on the ground, landing on his left.

 

 

Mr. H then flew towards Neku more while extending his hand out to him. Seeing the man that was always there for him actually hit him with his energy, made Neku look at Mr. H in shock as he laid on his left. The moment the Angel got close enough, he grabbed Neku's funnel collar and pulled him over to him.

 

"NO!" Neku screamed

 

He then sent a gust of wind that blew Mr. H away from him while recoiling him into the forest.

 

Mr. H then teleported back to the hotel and sat in his room.

 

"I'm sorry I had to scare you Neku…please, please see through this charade…you know I would never hurt you don't you Phones? Please don't believe it." Mr. H thought concerned

 

A confused and heartbroken Neku then laid on his back in the forest with tears streaming down his face

 

"Mr. H…why?! WHY DID YOU HAVE MY BACK ALL THIS TIME IF YOU…GRRRR! DAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Neku screamed as loud as he could

 

"I…I can't believe it…WHY?!…why should trust people? All they do is backstab you!…and now my trust was broken…by Mr. Hanekoma" Neku thought hurt.

 

The painful thoughts then caused him to cry more as his friends tried to tell him otherwise…but the Game was over again, they couldn't reach him.

 

To be continued…


	23. Bonds

THE 6TH DAY

 

Tears slowly drifted down Neku's face as he then sat up on the floor overwhelmed with heartache. He felt so hurt, so used that he knew that if it wasn't for the Player's Seal, that he would feel his demon energy consume him again. He looked to the sky and saw the moon had gone through one of its phases. It was a new moon…Neku had nothing to light up the sky, other little glimmers of light from stars in the sky to look at.

He then began to wonder if his friends from the Reapers' Game would do the same thing to him. Something that caused him to sob at the thought of being abandoned again, alone with no one to reach out to…something that he wouldn't mind…if his mind and soul was unstable again, but ever since he made new friends, it was something that terrified him.

 

"What if…they leave me too? I thought Mr. H was my friend…that he would be there for me. It doesn't matter that he's a Hunter…he could've figured something out to protect me, just like how he protected me from Fading in my trial. But…he tried to kill me. Dammit Mr. H why? Why did you do this? Why did you make me think that we were friends?" he thought hurt

 

Neku then curled into a ball and squeezed his hair and when he closed his eyes all he could see was Mr. H and how he's protected him in the Higher Plane from Demons, the times he would give Mr. H advice about life while he was in the Reapers' Game and all the times he would go to the tag mural in Udagawa.

 

"How do I know…if I really even love graffiti now?" Neku thought

 

"If Mr. H can betray me...then who's to say his message as CAT was even real? What if it really was just...brainwashing?" Neku thought beginning to doubt his love for CAT's art

 

he then looked up to the sky with his arms wrapped around his legs and looked at the stars for a few minutes filled with confusion. After he did that for a few minutes, he then stood up and screamed out all his anger and sadness

 

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO BE THERE FOR ME! I THOUGHT THAT YOU LIKED ME! I thought…that you…you were like a roll model! I…I wanted to expand my world thanks to you! To live life and enjoy the moment! But was a LIE WASN'T IT?! IN THE END YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT ME!" he screamed

 

he then hanged his head and slouched as his hands dangled and tears dropped from his face

 

"You never cared...ever" he said sadly

 

"I wanted to live life like the way you promoted CAT…but, for all I know he could've forced the idea of me liking graffiti into my head…what if Clarissa was right about him? After all I didn't really know him as well as I thought." Neku thought in his head

 

His friends hated seeing him like this but they couldn't reach him, all they could do was watch Neku suffer.

 

Eventually Neku's sobbing stopped allowing his breath to steady and he sat back down in the same postition before he was shot, looking to the stars again. He then currled into a ball again with his arms wrapped arounf his legs again and looked down.

 

"it's all over...there's no point...what if my friends from the Reapers' Game really do leave me too? Shiki, Beat, Rhyme and Joshua...they could all betray me too." Neku said outloud beginning to doubt them

 

"Neku...don't think like that" Shiki said sadly

 

"Come one Neku! How could you doubt us yo? You my brother, I ain't gonna mess wid you" Beat said hanging his head

 

Rhyme hanged her head too

 

"We'd never abandon you Neku" Rhyme said wishing Neku could hear them

 

he then laid down facing his left and closed his eyes, his friends noticed he was shivering in his sleep.

 

As Neku slept someone visted him during the night, the person he thought he knew, Mr. H. He saw Neku sleeping with his back facing him and saw little orbs flying out of his back. He then gently placed his hand on Neku's back healing it of its wound, and fixed the back of his shirt.

 

"I'm so sorry Neku...I never wanted to blast your bak so deeply" Mr. H said sadly

 

He also noticed how Neku was shivering and tapped into his memories of Neku and Shiki being in the Higher Plane together and remembered that she made a jacket for him.

 

He imagined what it looked like causing it to appear on Neku wrapping him in the warm wool like cloth that the inside of the jacket had. Shiki couldn't help but smile seeing that Mr. H recreated the jacket she made for him and had an idea from seeing it.

 

"Mr. H…do you think you could also keep his legs warm? I made him some pants to go with the jacket." she said mentally while subconsciously activating her Angel energy to leak through the barrier

 

Mr. H picked up on her thoughts and recreated the pants based off of how Shiki described it to him. It was basically exactly like Neku's shorts but as baggy pants. She then telepathically thanked Mr. H for doing that causing him to smile and telepathically said to her that he didn't mind doing that favor for her.

 

Mr. H then watched Neku as he slept more peacefully due to feeling warmth

 

"Phones…Neku…I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I didn't mean to mess up your mind like this. I was just trying to get you to the Safe Zone as fast as I could…I just didn't want you to get killed like that…please forgive me…I'm sorry." Mr. H thought sadly

 

He then summoned his Angel wings and flew back to the spot where the hotel is cloaked, unaware that he left behind a few of his feathers.

 

Time passed and eventually the sun rises starting the sixth day, Neku felt so warm and at peace that he almost didn't want to wake up. But eventually the little rays of light from the sun began to shine on his face causing him to open his eyes, he had such a peaceful sleep that he was a little drowsy. He looked around and noticed some white feathers on the forest floor.

 

"huh? An Angel was here? But…who would…

 

As Neku finally regained awareness he noticed that the pain in his back was gone, that he no longer had a gaping hole with his energy leaking out of it.

 

"he…he healed me?" Neku thought confused as he got up from the ground

 

He then looked down and noticed that his clothes had changed

 

"Hm? This is the jacket Shiki made for me, and how come I have pants? Wait, I remember now. This is that outfit Shiki wanted me to have for when it gets cold in Shibuya. Was I really that cold, that she wanted me to wear this to feel better?" he thought curiously

 

"I…was wrong" he said aloud

 

"Shiki, Joshua, Beat, Rhyme…Eri…they wouldn't hurt me…I know that now…I…I was probably really cold yesterday otherwise I wouldn't be wearing this…and Mr. H…he healed me but…why would he do that? He could've killed me yesterday…but didn't…was it because I got away? Or…did he _let me_ get away?" he thought troubled

 

"CAT…" Neku thought with his eyes watering

 

Neku then unzipped part of the jacket of the jacket exposing his mouth a little

 

"was he really doing that…to protect me?" Neku said confused

 

As he pondered this a white orb appeared to him and became his angel friend, making his clothes dissolve back to his normal J of M clothes.

 

He saw how angry Neku looked, filled with hate in his eyes, giving him a sharp glare, causing him to feel discouraged

 

"hey Phones…I know you went through a lot yesterday but just let me explain alright." Mr. H said sternly

 

"Why? How do I know if what you're gonna say is true?" Neku said distrustfully crossing his arms

 

"Because that's what trust is sport, believing what a person says to be true, trusting what they say." Mr. H replied sadly

 

He then began to explain why he had to scare Neku into thinking that he was going to kill him, and that it was really just a trick.

 

"Do you see now what I did Phones? I didn't mean to hurt you" Mr. H asked hoping Neku had forgave him

 

But there was nothing but distance between them Neku clenched his teeth filled with hate towards his former friend, filled with disbelief over CAT trying to kill him

 

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME PHONES AGAIN! ONLY MY FRIENDS CALL ME THAT!" Neku screamed

 

Mr. H then hanged his head saddened that Neku's mind was still hurting

 

"YOU'RE NOT MY FRIEND! YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! EVEN IF IT WAS TO GET ME BACK TO THE SAFE ZONE, YOU COULD'VE EASILY HAD LEAD ME THERE TO KILL ME LATER ON AS A TRAP!" Neku roared enraged shaking his fist

 

Filled with sadness and anger he then used his angel technique of turning his energy into orbs and shot them at Mr. H

 

"JUST GO THE HELL AWAY! GET OUT OF HERE! GO!" Neku screamed as he shot more energy

 

he then shot orbs and energy beams at Mr. H, seeing the skilled Angel dodge them all. Infuriating him even more, after that, he then ran up to him and tried punching him in the face as tears built up in his eyes.

 

"EVERYTHING YOU EVER SAID WAS A LIE! EXPANDING YOUR WORLD, LEARNING TO TRUST PEOPLE, ALL OF IT NEVER MATTERED! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT ME! ALL THIS TIME IT WAS AN ACT! YOUR WORDS ARE LIES! YOUR ART AS CAT IS A LIE! SO GET OUT, LEAVE ME ALONE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR LYING, GOOD FOR NOTHING FACE AGAIN!"

 

Hearing such a thing made Mr. H's heart sink, he never thought it would hurt Neku this badly. To hear Neku even insult his art as CAT, the one thing Neku cared for so much before the Reapers' Game, stung him, making Mr. H's eyes look at Neku sadly for a few seconds

 

Mr. H then dodged all the attacks and began to try to reason with his heartbroken friend, but just when he was about to speak, Neku leaped towards him and tried to punch Mr. H's face again. being the expert fighter he is, Mr. H instantly grabbed Neku's right hand blocking his fist. he was filled with even more sadness as he saw it tremble with rage, and the intense look in Neku's eyes as the enraged boy panted out of breath

 

"please think about this! please forgive me…If I really wanted to kill you, I could've done that on the first day of the Game. I got involved to make sure that that Angel and Player didn't get to you in time. If I hadn't had done that, it would've been over for you. You had a hole in your back remember? I was the one who fixed it, and I recreated the jacket and pants that Shiki made for ya to keep you warm" he said sincerely

 

"I've just looked out for you, like how a Guardian's supposed to but…it's more personal than that too. I did everything that I have done, from the UG up to now…to keep you safe 'cause I wanted to be your friend." Mr. H said smiling

 

"I know saying I'm sorry won't change what I did to you, but I never wanted to make you feel betrayed like I broke your trust...I would never want you to see me in such a way, honest." he added

 

Hearing Mr. H be so open to him helped him calm down causing him to let go of Neku's hand seeing him place it down by his side

 

"Really?" Neku said in shock

 

"Mhm, that's why I had to get you to the forest as fast as I could, and what makes you run at your top speed? Adrenaline, that's why I had to scare you kiddo. Do you understand now? I'm really sorry, I never meant to damage your mind." Mr. H said with his hand behind his neck

 

"He's really close to going back to who he was before the Reapers' Game. if it wasn't for his memories of his friends, his mind would've completely shattered making him go back to the old Phones" Mr. H thought sadly

 

They both stood in silence as Neku analyzed everything Mr. H told him and eventually calmed down and smiled at his Guardian friend

 

"You really were trying to protect me? to keep me safe?" he said weakly

 

Neku then closed his eyes and thought about how he got to the Safe Zone so fast, knowing that if he hadn't had made it there, he could've been killed. he then opened his eyes and told Mr. H what he thought

 

"I understand now you…really were protecting me. You did that to save me from that Angel and other Player from killing me…I just…I honestly thought you were going to kill me…but, in the end, you were there for me…just like you've always been." Neku said clasping his shoulder

 

"Mr. Hanekoma...I'm so sorry, I just couldn't believe it. I thought everything you ever did and said was a lie and…now I know that I can trust you." he said smiling a little

 

"You still trust me Pho…er…um...sorry" Mr. H said hoping he was forgiven

 

"Yeah…and call me Phones…after all, you were the first one to call me that. Heh heh" Neku said smiling with his right hand on his waist

 

"Alright then, I'll see ya later Phones…By the way, since you see me as a friend again and I think we've gotten to know each other better by now, so...I feel like we don't need to be so formal. In addition to you calling me CAT and me calling you Phones...well, you can call me Sanae" Mr. H said smiling

 

Neku then looked in shock

 

"R-Really? You mean it?" Neku said stunned 

 

"Yeah, this goes for your friends too. We went through a lot together when I helped them get strong enough to save you and Eri has been just as loyal as them, she even wanted to join your friends to help save you. Even if we haven't known each other for as long as I've known Joshua, I still see you guys as friends" Mr. H said sincerely

 

"Thanks Mr...um...I mean, Sanae" Neku said with his left hand on his waist smiling

 

Neku's friends then looked at each other and smiled  with Shiki feeling a little shocked

 

"I'm glad Mr. H...I mean Sanae, sees us as his friends now" Shiki said sweetly

 

"Yeah, after all, we went through with him, it makes sense though" Rhyme added

 

"Damn straight! Mr. H...er...Sanae did so much for us yo!" Beat sad with a huge grin

 

Eri then smiled and nodded

 

"I'm glad he includes me too" she said to the others

 

They then turned their attention back to the portal showing the Angels' Game seeing Mr. H tell Neku how he's almost done with the Angel's Game

 

 

 

"You've done good to survive this long kiddo! Just one more day. I'm proud of ya. You've proven that you can survive and I'm glad you've made it this far" Mr. H said smiling

 

"yeah, me too." Neku replied smiling

 

His angel friend then became a ball of light and went back to his hotel. Mr. H began to wonder about Anthony and the Demon energy within Neku, and wonders if he may try to torture Neku again.

 

Neku then wandered the forest trying to find some berries and was hoping to find Joshua looking for berries too. He couldn't help but think about all the people that he's seen die in the Angels' Game and how he's been close to facing Soul Obstruction multiple times in the Game.

 

"it's really almost over but, did I really survive on my own? Mr. H and Joshua have been backing me up but still…I've been fighting on my own surviving on my own! I've been fighting on my own! I've got this!…just one more day and it's all over" he thought strongly

 

Neku then hid his face in his collar and hid his hands in his pockets

 

"but…the last Players of the Game…what if I can't kill them cause...it's them. Will I have to kill Joshua? and where is he?" Neku thought concerned

 

He tracked the Composer's energy and eventually found Joshua eating berries while sitting on a tree stump

 

"So you weren't even going to check up on me? even though I was hurt and had a hole in my back?" Neku said crossly

 

Joshua simply chewed his berries and then swallowed them.

 

"It's about time he let you call him by his actual name. That's part of why I only referred to him as Mr. H in the UG and while we were together in the Higher Plane, to keep things formal. But now I don't have to. I was able to track your energy and by doing so, hear the conversation." he said remarking on Neku and Mr. H

 

"Also...no, In this Game everyone is your enemy Neku, including me…technically. I could kill you right now and have one less Player dragging on the day like how I almost killed you yesterday. But I am glad you found me Neku, because there's something you need to know about Soul Obstruction. Especially since you're targeted by Demons." Joshua said with a crooked smile

 

"You remember my second test right?" Joshua asked curiously

 

Neku then felt chills go down his spine from remembering how so many of his classmates died and how he almost died protecting Shiki, causing him to clasp his right shoulder

 

"yeah…that's when you saved me from getting shot in the head" Neku said weakly

 

"well during that test your energy became very unstable to the point you could've attracted a Demon Neku, and go through the RG version of Soul Obstruction." Joshua said darkly

 

He then explained to Neku that it's basically like when a Noise feeds off of the sadness and anger a person feels except that a Demon takes it even further and actually dive into the person's mind and starts to tear it apart distorting the person's sense of judgment and personality to the point they become mentally insane. Something that terrified Neku

 

"So…you're saying that…a vast majority of people that are labeled mentally insane, are possessed by a Demon?! And that…if my energy broke apart more during the second test that I would've been possessed too?!" Neku shrieked

 

"I'm afraid so, and there's something else you should know Neku. The serial killer you killed…was boosted in power by Anthony. I could sense his presence within the killer and that he had that hostility on his own. You see, when he first came to the Higher Plane…he had very strong energy that was on par with you…he was a Higher Mind. So it's because of this he's even more dangerous" Joshua said seriously

 

"I think Anthony might try to possess someone in an attempt to kill you if you don't Fade in the Game Neku…Hee hee so…try to not be reckless hm?" Joshua said slyly while pulling his hair back

 

"Y-yeah…" Neku said clasping his shoulder again feeling nervous…and doubtful

 

"What's gonna happen to me? I…I can't lose now! But do I really stand a chance? What if the other Players are possessed by demons…No! they'd have their energy locked inside them like me. But…I still have to deal with her…Kyoku…is she watching me right now? I gotta beat her…I only figured out how to recreate some of my Psychs, and I don't have my Partners…my friends…but I…I have to make it through…for them." Neku thought concerned

 

"You can do this Neku!" he heard Shiki say

 

"Heh…thanks Shiki." he said sweetly

 

"Nngh! …the timer again" Neku muttered

 

He looked to see the timer had reduced drastically causing his eyes to widen with fear reading: 10:00

 

"Ten minuets?! …it's…really all coming down…to this? I…

 

Neku then felt chills go up an down his spine and felt his hands burn.

 

"I gotta calm down…my demon energy's feeding off of my concerns. I'll get through this Shiki…just like I promised. Guys, just hang in there I'll get this Game over with…I…I can't lose now." Neku said in his head

 

"Just one more day Neku…and it'll all be over…but do you think you'll survive this day? The Higher Ups have ordered for me and Sanane to not raise a finger to help you if you're in danger." Joshua said slyly letting out his sinister laugh

 

"I WILL make it Joshua! I know I will!" Neku screamed angrily shaking his fist at him

 

"We'll see about that won't we?" Joshua said while pulling back his hair

 

"Hee hee see you later Neku…that is…if you make it." Joshua said waving goodbye as he walked away

 

Neku stood with his fists trembling as he tried to fight back the tears building in his eyes

 

"I…I'm screwed! What the hell am I suppose to do now?! If an Angel or Player nearly kills me then…I Rrrgh! Dammit! What should I do?!" Neku thought

 

He then became so frustrated that he squeezed his hair again

 

"If I don't make it through this then…I'd be leaving them behind! I don't wanna lose…I don't want to be killed!" Neku screamed aloud

 

He then felt his body burn as a black aura surrounded him, his Demon energy was feeding off of his fears of losing the Game. He trembled in pain causing him to fall to his knees

 

"Neku!" Shiki screamed

 

At that moment just the sound of her voice allowed him to regain control, like she snapped him out of his frightened state of mind.

 

"Don't give up Neku! You've come this far fighting on your own. You can do this!" Rhyme shouted

 

Neku then rose to his feet and didn't feel any pain since the energy subdued

 

"thanks guys, I needed that" Neku said weakly

 

"we always gotcha back Phones! Now go pound 'em yo!" Beat shouted

 

"heh you know it Beat!" Neku shouted back

 

He then ran towards the edge of the forest and ran into the playing field

 

"I'm not gonna let Kyoku catch me off guard again! I'm gonna beat this Game!" he thought strongly

 

While he did this his energy flowed through him and surged like fire all around him, with little strands of lightning flying around him with his irises being darkblue.

 

The moment he was on the playing field he was struck by a white flash of energy causing him to scream. Neku hen clenches his arm feeling that he had a cut on it and saw the Angel fly towards him charging up fire in her hands

 

"You're not gonna kill me! I'm winning this Game!" Neku screamed determined

 

He then shot energy at the Angel causing her to do the same, but Neku's energy became very intense and danced like fire as it flew towards her with strands of lightning around the energy. His energy was blocked by the Angel's energy causing Neku to tap into his imagination.

 

He closed his eyes and began to concentrate

 

"I want to be stronger…I want to push myself and be strong enough to push back this Angel's energy. I want to be strong…and be able to defend myself." he thought in his head

 

The moment Neku opened his eyes his imagination reacted and made he energy surge with more strands of lightning pushing the Angel energy out of the way through mere adrenaline burning the Angel, she then reverted to her human form and attempted to punch Neku in the face while her fists were surrounded with energy, he dodges the blows and recreated one of his Psychs.

 

He flew at her with a downward swipe as he teleported into the air, overwhelming her with pain. She screamed and rolled onto the ground and tried to get up but she was fatigued and couldn't find the strength to do so.

 

Neku then walked towards her and she closed her eyes knowing she was about to Fade. As he stood in front of the girl he saw all the scratches his energy gave her reminding him of how his demon energy does that to him.

 

"Am I really this strong? Or…was she holding back? I…I have to know for sure." Neku thought strongly

 

He then asked the Angel if she held back and she then opened her eyes and replied saying she was at full vibe frequency.

 

"The only reason you pulled this off is because of your mind. you're a Higher Mind after all, so you're a very powerful form of energy and imagination, that's why he chose you to be the Composer's Proxy. you did this on your own, the fact that you did this means a lot. I'm glad a lost to a worthy opponent" she said smiling.

 

"I'll make this painless" Neku said reassuringly

 

"thank you…but can I have you name?" she asked sweetly

 

"It's Neku, Neku Sakuraba" he replied

 

"Thank you…Neku Sakuraba" she said peacefully

 

Neku then placed his hand on her forehead

 

"You're welcome." he replied smiling a little

 

He then closed his eyes causing her to do the same and shot her head with energy causing her to Fade away.

 

At that moment another Angel attacked Neku, the blows were so fast that he had no time to react. The final blow in the combo sent Neku flying and crashing to the ground causing him to roll on the floor

 

"Neku! You okay?!" Shiki screamed

 

"Y-yeah Nngh! I'm fine Shiki…don't worry" Neku said as he got back up while squeezing his right arm

 

The angel then teleported behind Neku and shot him with lightning the moment Neku turned around causing him to scream in pain.

 

"No! Phones! You gotta fight back yo!" Beat shouted urgently

 

"yeah…I will" Neku replied

 

He shot orbs at the Angel only for him to dodge them, unknown to Neku or his friends is that he was fighting an Angel with as much combat experience as Mr. H, making him a much stronger opponent. The Angel then began swiping energy at Neku causing him to dodge left and right again

 

the Angel then flew towards Neku, grabbed his face, and then slammed Neku onto the ground, something that concerned Mr. H

 

"I know you've got this Phones" Mr. H thought to himself

 

The Angel then shot fire at Neku making him scream and summoned clones of himself that all shot energy at Neku, making him scream in pain.

 

His friends all had their eyes locked onto the portal hoping that Neku would be okay

 

"Please Neku, you have to figure something out!" Eri said worried

 

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna Fade here." Neku replied telepathically

 

The Angel that was in front of him, (the one who grabbed his face) charged up energy in his left hand and gave it a sharp point at the end. He then attempted to slash Neku with it only to have him grab the Angel's hand determined to not let the energy hit him

 

His hands trembled as he felt the adrenaline rush of his energy begin to wear off and felt his body burning from his demon energy trying to consume him.

 

"You know you need the energy Neku…you're not strong enough on your own…just give in to it…and let the energy consume you…you could even unleash your third form if you let me." Anthony said telepathically

 

"Nngh! No…I…I don't want to be that way again. I…Nnnnnnngh! It hurts!" Neku screamed aloud

 

"Let me have control Neku…let me fill you with the true power of a demon" Anthony persisted

 

"I…I can't hang on for much longer…it hurts…" Neku said weakly

 

His hands trembled more as his grip weakened causing the Angel to get ready to kill him.

 

"Phones!" Beat screamed

 

His grip then tightened to the point he was squeezing the Angel's hand and electrocuted the Angel with his energy causing the Angel to scream. Neku then lets out a fearsome roar as his energy surged like fire again.

 

"Thanks Beat...I promised her…that I'd come back. Hang in there Shiki, I'll be back soon." he thought in his head

 

Hearing his thoughts Shiki smiled at the portal and said

 

"I'll be waiting"

 

The energy burned Neku until his body was covered in his energy, activating his "armored" form. He then recreated his dash attack Psych on the Angel over and over, next he then floated into the air and recreated his Pyrokinesis pin with the fire following the Angel and floated to the ground and placed his left and on his head.

 

He then launched an orb that danced like fire with lightning surging around him and the orb and sent it to the Angel making him scream in pain. Neku then recreated another Psych recreating his energy as bullets weakening the Angel. He then reverted to his human form and began to Fade

 

"Sanae, this is one hell of a Fledgling. If you have to face him watch your back." the Angel said mentally

 

"I will don't worry" Mr. H thought back while attacking another Fledgling

 

Thanks to Joshua being a Composer and a master of death, he killed Angels by weakling them and forcing them to go to their human form and then freezing them in place followed by creating his energy scythe killing the Angels, reducing them to four Hunters left. As Neku fought more another Player attacked him, it was a 15 old boy named Hideki

 

Neku simply looked at the boy in shock

 

"How did this kid survive this long in the Game? his eyes, something looks off, has he killed people before?" Neku thought surprised

 

Hideki generated his bat in his left hand and ran up to Neku with it. The crazy boy swung the bat at Neku over and over causing him to dodge the attacks…something that Hideki was hoping for. He swung his leg underneath Neku making him fall on his back. The boy then tackled Neku and tore off his funnel collar and began choking Neku, squeezing his throat with both of his hands.

 

"DIE!" the murderous boy screamed

 

"I'm going to make the light fade from your eyes" Hideki snarled

 

But Neku refused to give up making the boy's grip tighten making Neku wheeze and gasp for air, making Neku squeeze Hideki's hands trying to electrocute him with his energy. The boy then grabbed his bat with his left hand and started smashing it against Neku's head

 

"I'm gonna win! I got to kill everyone to win!" the boy screamed

 

Neku knew he was in trouble he felt too weak to really fight back, so all he could do was give the boy his wish hoping that it would trick him to lower his guard.

 

As Hideki bashed Neku's head he laid on the ground with his eyes closed and used his mind to generate energy around him and orbs.

 

"Don't worry guys I'm okay" Neku said to his friends Telepathically

 

 

Hideki then smiled and stopped hitting Neku, at that moment Neku instantly stabbed the boy in the chest with his energy with the gap in all his fingers closed, making his energy like a blade, to dig into the boy's chest and then lets his hand fall to the floor and fell backwards again eyes closed.

 

Hideki smiled thinking that Neku's "last attempt" at killing him failed

 

"I…I won" Hideki said weakly he then faded away into black orbs outlined in red.

 

When Neku didn't hear anyone anymore he then opened his eyes causing his energy to back inside him while simultaneously fixing his funnel collar.

 

"I'm sorry guys. I had to make it look like my energy was leaking out of me for that plan to work." Neku said mentally

 

"It's okay Neku…I'm just glad that you survived." Shiki said mentally

 

"we all are" Eri added

 

As Neku rose to his feet he saw another Player get killed and knew what that meant. He closed his eyes and did his focusing pose to heal himself and then opened them and generated his energy like fire again and got into his fighting stance

 

"Come on! You said you wanted to kill me! So now's your chance!" Neku screamed shaking his fist

 

As he looked around trying to find her, he was surprised to see someone else on the battlefield

 

"huh?! What's she doing here?! It's not safe! How is she even here?! I thought only Ghosts, Angels and Gods could enter the Higher Plane!" Neku thought

 

"Coco?" Neku said confused

 

"Aaah! Oh my gosh! Neku! You're on fire! WHY?! What's going on?! I have totez no idea how I got here! Help!" Coco said trembling with fear

 

seeing the young girl terrified couldn't help but make Neku think of Rhyme, which motivated him to protect her

 

"Don't worry! You helped me out in the Game and were there for me on Hard Mode, so I'm gonna have your back in return!" he roared

 

Coco then ran to Neku and stood near his energy, surprised that his fire like energy wasn't burning her

 

"Ooh, it's kinda pretty" She thought

 

"No matter what! You gotta stay close to me!" Neku said sternly

 

"Okay!" Coco yelled back

 

Neku and Coco ran trying to avoid other hunters, causing Neku to fire his energy at anyone who came close, causing the angels to go flying back. There was one flying right towards him, causing Neku to pull Coco behind him as he shot a massive blast of energy at the Angel making him teleport away to focus on another player in the mean time. The moment he looked behind him to check on Coco, he felt nervous.

 

"NO! Where is she?! I said I'd be there for her and I screwed up!" Neku thought feeling guilty

 

"Coco? Coco!" Neku yelled

 

he then hanged his head

 

"Not again" he said sadly "someone died because I screwed up...I--

 

"I'm right here silly!" a familiar voice said

 

Neku then looks to see the silly young Reaper infront of him. as he says that he's glad she's okay, Coco started to run to him and leaped up giving him a big hug. She then lets go of him and smiled with a sinister look on her face

 

"Huh? hey what's with you? don't look at me like that!" Neku said startled

 

Coco then did a hand sign and teleported away in a puff of smoke only for Kyoku to then appeared to Neku smiling

 

"You?!" Neku roared

 

"I was able to do that since I watched the Hard Mode of the Reapers' Game from the Higher Plane. I'm impressed to see that you can generate this much energy and still maintain control…but I wouldn't expect anything less from a Higher Mind." she said slyly

 

"Rrgh! You tricked me! I thought Coco was actually in danger and--

 

She then threw shuriken and Kunai at Neku causing him to block them with his energy.

 

 

"Fight me like a warrior!" she cried "use a weapon!"

 

 

"You're not even a real ninja! Seriously, cut the act already!" Neku roared

 

 

"Big talk from someone I almost killed last time!" Kyoku said slyly

 

 

"That's only 'cause you caught me off guard! This time it'll be different!" Neku said shaking his fist

 

Neku then generated a knife and swiped at her, blasting beams of his energy

 

She then rotated her sword in different directions blocking all the energy beams making Neku gasp

 

"How did she?…doesn't matter! I gotta get her weapons away from her!" Neku thought strongly

 

He then allowed his energy to wrap around his body and charged towards her firing orbs at her. She transferred her energy to her katana and used it to cut through the orbs, but by the time she did this Neku had teleported away from her and flew at her peripheral view causing her to turn towards him but was a few second too late and Neku swiped the sword away from her.

 

 

She then got into a fighting stance and generated her dark purple energy all around her and overwhelmed Neku with extremely fast blows, his armor wore off causing the wounds to severely hurt him as she electrocuted him with her energy and grabbed her katana

 

 

 

Neku screamed in pain as he was recoiled to the Safe Zone with one problem…the Game wasn't over, although she wasn't allowed to do so, she pursued Neku into the forest and shot her shurikens at him with one of them scratching Neku's right arm.

 

 

"Aaaagh! Dammit I gotta keep moving" he said to himself

 

Clasping his right arm, Neku shot energy at her only to have her dodge it. He ran deeper and deeper into the forest noticing it had an incline and started to lose his footing as he ran down hill. Neku trips and rolls down the hill only to extend his hand out to a near by tree catch himself while simultaneously scraping his left leg against a near by stone. Neku then hid himself behind the tree hoping she wouldn't catch him so he could rest.

 

"I've gotta get my energy back…I feel really weak. I can't fight like this" he thought

 

As he hid behind the tree he saw there was a cave directly beneath him and waited for Kyoku's foot steps to quiet down so he could sneak there. Eventually she wandered off causing Neku to leap down to the cave and quickly hid inside it panting out of breath

 

"I've gotta heal myself" Neku thought "…I…

 

Noticing how heavily he was breathing Neku hid his mouth beneath his funnel collar hoping to muffle the sound.

 

He then closed his eyes and placed his hands on his head taping into the healing technique Mr. H taught him and opened his eyes feeling strong again. Neku noticed how quiet the forest was…and how that concerned him.

 

He teleported himself to a near by tree and sat on the tree branch generating his energy in his right hand as he observed the forest trying to find his enemy...but felt uneasy as he noticed how silent the area was and teleported to the ground and began to walk around the forest, now generating energy in his left hand too.

"Where is she?" Neku thought

 

 

as he walked around the forest for what felt like at least two minutes, he then lets his energy dissolve wondering where she went, unaware that she was taking advantage of her surroundings, she hid within the trees stalking her prey.

 

 

Neku continues walking to suddenly feel a chilling breeze go down his spine causing him to generate his energy again

 

 

"I gotta amplify my energy with my Mind...I've got this" he thought

 

 

But as he prepared himself to fight walking cautiously around the forest, he was overwhelmed with dozens of slashes making him scream in pain, with the last slash causing him to fall backwards wheezing in pain. Kyoku then teleports to him and began stomping on his stomach making him cough up orbs. She then shot energy at Neku making him scream in pain, (something that infuriated Shiki and his other friends) and then grabbed his funnel collar and prepared to stab Neku with her Katana

 

Although he was exhausted and drained wheezing in pain, he then focused his energy and allowed it to flow through him

 

"Trust your energy…let it flow through you…concentrate" he thought

 

"Open...up your senses" he wheezed

 

Neku then opened his eyes recreating his Energy Armor, making him feel strong again, and attacked Kyoku and blinding speeds. Kyoku then generated her dark purple energy and flew at the same speed.

 

Dark-blue and Dark-purple energies clashed with Neku recreating his Psychs including his swiping attack, slashing through her mask revealing her face, making her look terrified for a few seconds. He swiped the sword away from her and charged towards her only to notice she stopped attacking. She powered down and bowed to him

 

"Thank you…for this fight." she said smiling

 

She then grabbed her katana causing Neku to charge up his energy only to stare at her in shock. She pointed the blade at herself, making him power down to his normal form

 

"I have been defeated, when a ninja's identity is revealed, we're sentenced to death…you bested me in combat…tell me, what's your name?" she asked sweetly

 

Neku still in shock stood in silence for a few minuets before responding

 

"it's…Neku, Neku Sakuraba" he said weakly

 

He then sees her pull the blade outward

 

"No! Kyoku don't!" Neku screamed running towards her

 

She then stabbed herself in the chest causing her to wheeze as she fell backwards only to be caught by Neku who held her in his arms.

 

"Why? Why did you do that to yourself? You're not a real Ninja, you don't need to live by their code. Why did you do this?" Neku said confused

 

"I lost the battle Neku, and I..I guess, part of me wanted to.  Trying to be a ninja...it was fun while it lasted. It made me have a little bit of fun while playing...this game. But the truth is, I wanted someone to kill me for a long time. Tell me where are..you f-from?" she said smiling

 

"Shibuya, in Tokyo, Japan" he replied

 

"Really? Heh...me too" she said weakly

 

Neku then looked at her a little sad

 

 

"Why do you want to die?" he said sadly

 

 

 

"It's because...I've been here for a while. I'm tired of playing the Angels' Game. Doing this, was a way of making it sort of fun for me. Ninjas are cool and all...but I miss my dad. He was killed by a demon. My dad is the one who got me into ninjas. I guess...me doing this was my way of not thinking about it...how he died, and honoring him." Kyoku said with her eyes watering

 

 

"Nnngh!" She grunted

 

At that moment her ninja clothes dissolved and she revealed her true clothes. A typical Japanese school uniform. It looked exactly like Ai and Mina's but the skirt was blue instead of green

 

"Huh? I guess you really are just like me. You're just a kid from Shibuya" Neku said weakly

 

 

"Yeah....guess so" She replied

 

 

she then began to cough and became extremely pale

 

 

"N-Neku…Sa…kura…ba…Please…t-take this…protect yourself…with it Nngh! And win this…Game." she said handing her Katana to Neku

 

"Kyoku…I…I can't this is yours." Neku said feeling his eyes burn

 

"Please…t…take it…I don't really need it anymore. I guess I got carried away. I Nnngh!...ended up here...because I accidentally killed someone with one of my ninja weapons. I wanted to be someone else, to not think about my dad being killed but...I'm just…a normal teenager…who grew up watching ninja movies. So...please…N..Neku…stay strong…live no…matter what." she said with her hand on his smiling

 

"Promise?" Kyoku asked

 

 

"I...I promise" Neku said sadly

 

 

"I'm glad" Kyoku whispered

 

With her last words spoken she then Faded in front of him leaving her sheath behind with tears streaming down Neku's face as he watched the sunset and looked at his timer one last time.

 

9:32

 

"It's almost over. Kyoku…I'll keep fighting…to live just like you wanted me to" he said strongly

 

 

To be continued…


	24. Final Moments

THE LAST DAY

 

As Neku watched the sunset he then looked down at the Katana that he held in his hands and then placed it back in its sheath and used his mind to create two spray paint cans, one that was dark-blue and the other one was dark purple.

 

He then adjusted the nozzles of the two spray paint cans and then sprayed a dark-blue lightning bolt going down the sheath and then sprayed a dark-purple lightning bolt on the sheath.

 

He then placed the two cans down and held the sheath to admire his work. The two lightning bolts twisted into each other and extended towards the tip of the sheath, he smiled satisfied with the final product, treating it as a symbol of how in the long run she was there for him, and how he wants to live the life she never got to.

 

He then imagined a black strap to tie to the sheath so he could carry it over his back, or adjust the strap so the sword could rest near his waist, making the strap act sort of like a strap for a guitarist to wear.

 

Neku adjusted the strap so he had it over his shoulder with the katana near his waist and went to a certain spot in the forest near a tree and looked at his hand and smiled happy that the timer was gone.

 

 

"One more day…I…I've got this…there's only four Angels left so…it'll be over soon, and then I can go back to my friends." Neku thought peacefully

 

He then laid on the ground on his left side with the sword behind him and went to sleep beneath a starry sky and a crescent moon. As Neku slept his friends all watched concerned hoping he'd be okay

 

"Do you think the last day may be too much?" Rhyme said weakly

 

"Man I dunno Rhyme, Phones's been doin' good but now they're ain't as many Angels huntin' the Players yo. It could get really bad Rhyme." Beat said discouraged

 

"yeah…Neku's nearly Faded a few times in the Game…he…he might really

 

Shiki then hid her face in Mr. Mew's head

 

"Shiki I know he'll come back he's made it this far, so Neku's gonna be okay don't worry." Eri said with her hand on Shiki's shoulder

 

She then looked up at her fashionable friend and looked at her with watery eyes

 

"how do you know? Yeah Neku's survived up 'til now but, he's almost died a few times too…what if it's too much for Neku?! What if he--

 

"PHONES AIN'T GONNA FADE YO! I KNOW HE AIN'T THAT WEAK MAN! DIDN'T YOU SEE WHAT HE DID?! YO NEKU WAS ABLE TO FIGHT AND POWER HIMSELF UP AND KILL DA HUNTERS WID HIS ENERGY! NEKU'S GONNA COME BACK!" Beat roared trying to hide his concern making all the other friends look at him

 

A small tear streamed down his right cheek at the thought of losing his friend causing Eri to look at him worried

 

 

"I don't think I've ever seen him cry before" Eri thought sadly

 

 

"He ain't gonna lose Shiki. Look at how strong Phones's mind was in the Game yo. Widout my mind bein' all powerful 'n stuff from bein' a Reaper, I wasn't able to use the pin the H man made for me yo…But Neku, he was able to do it, an' how he killed that dragon Noise thing too! He fused his energy wid us yo, makin' a three-way Pact 'member?" he said looking at Shiki

 

 

Beat then intensely stares at the portal looking at Neku

 

"If he could do all of that while his Soul 'n stuff was in his body den there's no tellin' what Phones can do now yo! He ain't gonna lose…Neku's stronger than that."

 

Rhyme, Eri and Shiki then all stared at Beat seeing the intensity in his eyes like he was almost angry at the situation, knowing that he can't be there to help his friend, and yet it was also like a sense of determination was rubbing off of him. They could all sense Beat's frustration, but they could also sense his urge to just dive into the portal and help Neku.

 

"I know you can do this Phones…you jus' gotta man. Don' you leave me! When you was shot by the crazy gunman, I thought you were gonna die! You had blood comin' outta your shoulder! You lost so much blood that you almost died in the hospital yo…you scared da the crap outta me…don't…you can't do that crap again Neku…don' go…please." Beat said in his head fighting back tears again

 

With his friends hearing his thoughts, Eri, Shiki and Rhyme hanged their heads knowing how badly the odds are against Neku.

 

The fiery-haired teen slept the night away with the sun eventually rising within the sky, little rays of sunlight shined through the forest once again causing him to mumble and turn away from the rays of light.

 

"Five more minuets" he mumbled "then, I'll get up for school"

 

Shiki and Eri smiled at each other happy that Neku was so at peace. It was almost as if he forgot he was in the Angels' Game.

 

"Morning sleepy head" Shiki said sweetly

 

"huh?" Neku mumbled

 

he then opened his eyes to see a portal showing all his friends to him, causing him to widen his eyes startled that they were watching him

 

"What?! What are you guys doing here?! How come I can see you now when I couldn't see you all before?" he said shocked

 

"I don't really know…none of us do." Shiki replied

 

"Hee hee, that's cause this is the last day of the Angels' Game." a voice answered

 

Neku then turned to see Joshua walking towards him

 

"it's…it's really the last day Josh?" Neku said worried as he stood up

 

"yup so on the last day Players can see, hear, and communicate with their friends for a few minuets…as a way of…saying goodbye." Joshua said slyly while pulling back his hair

 

Neku's eyes widened and became extremely pale. He was overwhelmed with fear and yet was also filled with heartache knowing what this meant for him.

 

"No" he whimpered "Saying goodbye? You mean as in…

 

Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar again causing only his bangs to show. Joshua then smiled at Neku with this hands in his pockets and chuckled

 

"Exactly Neku, since there are fewer Angels now and even less Players, it'll be much easier for them to target us…you and me are the last Players. Often times when this happens the Angels spit up into two teams, one for each player and then attempts to kill them and will make the battlefield become the arena. Which means, you may end up fighting him hee hee."

 

"Do you understand what this means Neku?" Joshua said while letting out his sinister laugh

 

"Rrrgh! Stop it Joshua! You're making Neku feel bad!" Shiki said furiously

 

"It's…okay Shiki…I…I felt like it was gonna come down to this. For some reason, in the back of my mind…I always worried about this, that it'd end like this. But I just…gotta deal with it. I'll be okay Shiki, really." Neku said weakly

 

"Well, I guess it's good that you understand what this means now? So you can't hold back Neku…or else you'll lose your entry fee. So try to make this upcoming fight interesting hm?" Joshua said while pulling back his hair again

 

"yeah…" Neku said still hiding his face

 

Joshua then walked away and began to eat more berries leaving Neku to think about what may happen to him.

 

"Saying…goodbye? So…he's implying that Players usually LOSE?! No! there has to have been Players that've won the Game before right?…I can't lose…not now." Neku said aloud as if he forgot his friends could hear him

 

"Neku it'll be okay. Enjoy the moment remember? You're mind's stronger than all of ours, that's why you were able to use so many pins in the Reapers' Game and was really good at manipulating Psychs. Don't let your worries control you, that's what your demon energy feeds off of. You're not gonna turn into a quitter on me are you? I thought you were better than that." Shiki said strongly

 

"Huh?" Neku said raising his head from his collar

 

He then turned his head to the portal seeing his friends all smiling at him

 

"You got this Phones! You ain't weak man, remember that yo!" Beat said happily

 

"Heh heh, he's right Neku! I know you'll be okay. Just think about how we can all hangout again when this is over" Rhyme added

 

"Yeah plus you have that sword now to help you too Neku, I know you're gonna come back!" Eri said smiling

 

Neku then smiled at them happy that they comforted him

 

"heh, thanks" he said looking at his friends

 

"Anytime yo!" Beat shouted

 

Neku then turned away from his friends and pulled out his katana

 

"Hmm, I wonder if I can modernize this somehow" he thought while looking at the weapon

 

Neku closed his eyes and imagined the blade becoming more hi-tech while still functioning as a sword.

 

The pommel of the sword is a simple nut and bolt and the handle has dark-blue grip wrapping. The hilt is a based off of Neku's headphones and his MP3 player.

 

It also channels his energy and tunes into Neku's vibe the more he focuses and the blade itself can compact and extend itself like modern batons with a flick of his wrist. The dark-blue column along the blade glows as Neku focuses his energy and can be used as a conduit for ranged attacks.

 

The more energy is stored within the blade, the stronger it becomes causing it to reach a second phase causing the blade to thicken and have a black metallic bar extend out from the hilt acting as a guard for Neku's fingers and also has another handle extending a few inches off of the hilt to guard Neku's hand from hitting the bar protecting his fingers from the blade.

 

the handle and hilt become a dark gray color with dark blue lighting in the graffiti style on the handle. The two columns on the blade surge like lightning allowing him to electrocute anyone in his way and his energy surges all around the sword.

 

He then opened his eyes shocked to see his sword in its second phase from him concentrating his energy on changing the sword so much and then saw it shrink back to its normal form.

 

"Aw snap! That was…man I really did that?" Neku said aloud

 

"yeah that's awesome yo! You did it Phones! The sword's all high-tech 'n stuff!" Beat said happily

 

"heh heh, great job Neku!" Eri said excitedly

 

Shiki and Rhyme both also express their happiness over him upgrading his weapon making him smile as he placed the sword back in its sheath.

 

"So now what are you gonna do?" Shiki asked happily

 

Neku then scratched his head a little unsure of what to do either

 

"Well…there's this training I've always wanted to do…back before Joshua attacked me, I was planning on training to fight Kyoku but, I guess now I'll just practice sword fighting." he replied

 

"I can't screw up…one little mistake and…I'll lose everything" he said hiding his face

 

"It'll be okay Neku, it's almost over." she said sweetly

 

Neku then lifted his face and lets out a little smile

 

"thanks" he said weakly

 

"heh, any time" Shiki replied

 

He then unsheathed his sword and tried to imagine the way Kyoku would use it and slashed some trees with vicious swipes just like the former Ninja did. As he slashed more trees he then focused and shot energy at the trees as he slashed them, he did this over and over sending energy slashes until he was panting out of breath.

 

"Bwaaaaaahaaah! That was tight Phones! Since when could ya use a sword yo!?" Beat exclaimed shocked

 

"heh heh, I…I just mimicked…the way Kyoku…w-would fight." Neku replied

 

"Seriously? That's awesome yo! I knew you got this!" Beat said happily

 

"Yeah you're gonna do great Neku!" Eri shouted

 

Neku then sheathed his sword again

 

"thanks" he replied

 

Neku then placed his hands on his head to focus again in an attempt to get rid of the fatigue he felt but as he focused he felt a sharp pain in his head causing him to scream and pant out of breath.

 

"Neku! What's wrong?! What's happening?!" Shiki cried

 

"I…Nngh! I don't…know!" he screamed

 

Neku then felt an intense pressure causing him to fall to his knees and tremble in pain, as he felt his right shoulder begin to sting.

 

The pain in his head stopped causing him to squeeze his shoulder tightly as Anthony began cracking the Players' Seal on Neku's shoulder again, only now he was cracking the right and left wings at the same time making Neku scream in pain.

 

"Phones! You're seal yo! It's gettin' cracks in it!" Beat shouted

 

"Nngh! It's…it's him again! He's trying to break the seal." Neku screamed

 

"that's right Neku…you should be glad I'm doing this, after all once he Demon energy consumes you, you won't even know you're killing your friends, plus I can then put you out of your misery. All you have to do is let go…of everything." Anthony said to him

 

"Nngh! No…I…I know what that'll do to me! I Nngh! I don't want to win the Game like that!" Neku said defiantly

 

"Hmph you really are pathetic, so unaware of the power you could wield as a Demon." Anthony said darkly

 

As he watched Neku from his throne room, he snapped his fingers making the cracks start to go to the center of the seal. As this happened Mr. H picked up on how weak Neku felt in his hotel room where he of course, drinks coffee.

 

"huh? Phones! It's that Demon again!" he thought concerned

 

"I can't exactly interfere now…especially since I'm a Hunter, but I hate to just leave him to suffer like this" Mr. H thought frusterated  "But still, me leaving him on his own, is technically a good thing. In addition to being a Hunter, I don't him to rely on me too much. Eventhough I'm a Guardian, it's important for Phones to do things on his own too"

 

He then sipped his coffee and observed Neku, to see if Neku could save himself

 

 

Neku's friends all watched fuming with hate as Neku trembled and screamed in pain. They all tried telling him that he needs to stay strong but no matter how much they screamed at him they couldn't help.

 

"Don't! Just S-Stop it! ...it hurts….Nngh I…can't take it…" Neku screamed

 

"that's it Neku just give in, let me take control and go to the center of the seal." Anthony said to him

 

"Nngh! The…the center?" Neku whimpered

 

"NO!" Neku screamed angrily

 

"I can't lose myself again! I can control it now! I have to!" he thought

 

Neku then generated his energy in his left hand and slammed it onto the seal

 

"I have to rely on MY energy, MY STRENGTH! I'm tired of my Demon energy trying to take over me! **Enjoy the moment more**!" Neku thought trying to imagine what his energy looks like in his head

 

"huh?" Neku exclaimed opening his from no longer squinting from the pain

 

Neku then closed his eyes and took a deep breath and exhales slowly causing the pain to stop completely

 

He then opened his eyes with a little smile on his face

 

"thanks Mr. Hanekoma. Guess that imprint of yours helped me just now too." Neku said weakly

 

Neku then rose to his feet and felt a sharp pain in his left hand

 

"Nngh! The timer" he said looking down at it

 

"9:28 it's already gone down a little but…at least the timer's slowed down." Neku thought concerned

 

"You got this Phones!" Beat shouted

 

Neku then looked behind him to see Beat with his fist towards Neku causing him to smile and make his fist go towards Beat like they were gonna fist bump each other.

 

"thanks Beat…I'll be back soon" Neku said smiling

 

Rather than running out of the forest Neku took his time and started to walk out of it, fully aware what might wait for him on the other side, CAT. As he walked towards the edge of the forest his friends were filled with concern seeing how broken up Neku's seal was, and began to fear that he might become a full demon again since they've seen him lose control over the energy multiple times. As Neku walked to the edge of the forest he then glanced at his timer again

 

"9:27, 26, 25, 24, …it's…it's really here…the last minuets before the Game's over but…what if I have to fight them? Mr. H and Joshua? I can't kill them…"

 

Neku then hid his face in his funnel collar again with his hands in his pockets

 

"I just…I have to end this Game, I'm gonna come back Shiki, just like I promised" he thought nervously

 

He then walked into the blank space of the playing field feeling very tense since no one was there and sees it become the battle arena. 

 

"they're all hiding?" Neku thought

 

"Come out!" Neku screamed shaking his fist

 

"this is how it's going to end right?! I have to fight you two?! Isn't that it?! So come out and fight me!" Neku yelled as loud as he could

 

he then slouched and feel his head drop making his hair cover his eyes as he was filled with heartache

 

"Come out and fight…Sanae…J-Joshua…" he said sniffing with tear drops falling

 

"Dammit! It's really here! I have to…I have to kill them!" he screamed in his head

 

As Neku felt his hands balled up into fists, trembling with anxiety and anger at the thought of having to fight to the death for the Higher Ups amusement, a bolt of lightning flew behind him frightening his friends

 

"Neku behind you!" Eri shouted

 

He instantly turned around to see the lightning and get shocked by it sending him flying back. He then got to his feet to hear someone laugh at him

 

"What's wrong? You'll have to react faster than that Neku" the voice said teasingly

 

"Joshua?" Neku said in shock

 

The youthful Death God then appeared to Neku as a ball of light before becoming human again. As Joshua walked up to Neku with energy charging in his hand an Angel attacked Joshua sending him flying making Neku gasp

 

"Josh!" he screamed in shock

 

Momentarily forgetting that Joshua was his enemy in the Angels' Game Neku immediately ran towards his friend causing Joshua to groan

 

"You're so reckless." Joshua said annoyed as he shot an Angel that was flying behind Neku, causing him to look behind him

 

The Angel that shot Joshua attacked him once more and Neku saw that the angel that was shot by Joshua was flying towards him again with another Angel flying towards him. Neku then focused his energy and activated his 'armored' form and attacked the Angels only to have the two Angels he was fighting viciously attack him. Another Angel came to the aid of the Angel that was fighting Joshua, his longtime friend, Mr. H.

 

Since Joshua and Mr. H use to spar with one another on the islands in the Composer district when they were getting to know each other, he was able to fight Mr. H and the other Angel quite easily.

 

he dodged each of their attacks and eventually teleported away from them and dialed numbers into his cellphone summoning vending machines and cars to crush the Angels.

 

Mr. H flew at breakneck speeds causing him to fly through the cars and soda machines, along with his teammate following him. The Angels all blasted energy that exploded near Joshua when they reached the ground causing the Composer to teleport away from them once again and then teleported himself into the air laughing sinisterly

 

"YOU ARE DONE!" Joshua shouted

 

He then summoned two massive rays of his energy to blast Mr. H and his team mate sending them both flying. As Mr. H recovered he saw Joshua shooting his Composer energy behind him, using it to propel himself towards his teammate.

 

Joshua then extended his hands outward towards the teammate instantly blowing him up with the energy, as a master of Death, he knows how much energy an Angel can withstand before they are overloaded causing him to kill Mr. H's partner with ease.

 

Meanwhile as Mr. H and Joshua fought each other Neku blasted his energy at the two Angels attacking him causing them to go flying in the air, being launched away from him. Luckily since his armored energy form makes him almost on par with Joshua's human form, he was able to put up a much better fight in this form.

 

As the Angels flew back Neku teleported himself to one of them and punched the Angel in the face causing him to go crashing to the ground.

 

Neku then dashed to the Angel preparing to attack him, only to have the teammate blast energy at Neku from behind making him scream in pain, and go crashing to the ground. But since he's in his armored form Neku was able to deal with his wounds better.

 

"Dammit" Neku thought as he rose to his feet

 

"I'm not gonna be able to withstand this form much longer…and in this form I can't see my timer…how much time do I have left?" he thought discouraged

 

The two Angels then shot energy at Neku causing him to teleport in a zig-zag motion to dodge the energy blasts and leap into the air and blasted energy out of his hands with such intensity it resembled fire.

 

After that, they then combined their energy rays to push back Neku's and attack him piercing Neku's armored form revealing dark blue energy on his body causing him to let out an agonizing scream.

 

He then fell to his knees and squeezed his right arm using it as a crutch to keep himself steady.

 

"crap…my armored form's not enough?…but then what the hell am I gonna do?! I can't lose now…should I...really try to use _that_ energy? No…I can't that'd be breaking one of the few rules of the Angels' Game, the Higher Ups could do something to me if I use it and I don't want to use that energy ever again unless there's no other option…trust my energy…I've got this." Neku thought concerned

 

His body began to burn as his energy armor flowed back inside him causing him to pant out of breath.

 

Being thrilled by Neku's fatigue Anthony tried to break Neku's seal once again.

 

As Neku found the strength to get back up he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder.

 

"Nngh! My shoulder…no not now!" Neku said aloud squinting in pain,

 

he opened his eyes to see the Angels shooting massive amounts of energy at him, making them resemble pillars overwhelming him with fear.

 

"NOOOO!"

 

As he yelled at the Angels he blasted his energy at the Angels with strands of black Demon energy in the form of lighting surrounding it and due to how Anthony has boosted Neku's demon energy beyond that of a Mongrel, it was enough to kill the two Angels.

 

"Neku…please don't change back" Shiki thought concerned from seeing the demon lighting

 

"Phones you okay man?!" Beat shouted

 

Hearing his voice helped Neku get control back and caused his energy to dissolve.

 

With the two Angels killed Neku looked behind him to see his two friends standing next to him, Joshua and Mr. H. With only three people left, the size of the arena shrunk from the size of a football field to a standard battlefield

 

Chills went up Neku's spine and his hands began to shake causing him to hide them in his shorts realizing what this meant. There was nothing but silence amongst them, Joshua and Mr. H looked at each other and then back at Neku.

 

"you know what this means...don't you Phones?" Mr. H said mentally as he transformed to his human form

 

"Y-Yeah…" Neku replied telepathically while hiding his face

 

"I don't want to do this Mr. Hanekoma, you're …my friend. Both you and Joshua…" Neku said mentally again

 

"I know, but the clock's ticking…I'm afraid you have to. Just remember all the things I've taught you Phones" Mr. H replied telepathically

 

At that moment, Neku sees the silver tiled floor spread as long as a football fieldform all around him and sees that the floor rose high into the air with light blue fire forming at the bottom. The stands that were in the Slaughter Room are now visible showing all the other Angels, Death Gods, and Neku's friends, all watching him with dark redish gray walls. He then looks in shock seeing how he's surrounded by so many people

 

 

After that happened, Neku became a dead person again, making him look down at his hand in shock and then back at Joshua. Joshua, on the other hand, stared at Neku and was completely silent. Coming to terms with how he really is a lot like his Proxy and how Neku really did have a friend he could relate to.

 

 

"Neku…maybe he could be more than someone that I've grown fond of…I guess in a way I really am like him. I never had a real friend until I met Sanae…I…I've always been alone" Joshua thought

 

"Neku" Joshua said while crossing his arms

 

"I know you don't want to do this but it's the rule of the Angels' Game. So fight as hard as you can and maybe you'll make it out of this." he said darkly

 

Seeing Joshua so serious just made the harsh reality of what he had to do made Neku even more nervous.

 

"Goodbye Neku Sakuraba" Joshua said emotionlessly

 

He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes making a scythe out of Composer energy  held it in his hand and flew towards Neku who was frozen with shock

 

"Joshua…why are you doing this? You're my friend, don't bother denying it 'cause you feel the same way don't you? If you didn't then I would've faced Soul Obstruction by now! Don't get any closer…Joshua don't…Joshua…stop!" Neku thought horrified

 

As Joshua prepared to slash through Neku knowing he would be killing him, Mr. H used his imagination to push Neku away with a gust of wind.

 

"You have to fight Phones…" Mr. H said mentally

 

"Sanae…CAT…I'm sorry" Neku said telepathically as he got to his feet.

 

He looked down at his timer to see it read: 8:16

 

"There's no way in hell that I can kill them…either of them…it would be like trying to break apart my world…cause they've become part of it. I'll stall as much time as I can…I have to take that risk…Shiki…I know what'll happen if I don't fight as hard as I can…so…I might have to hurt them…I'm sorry" he thought sadly

 

Neku then unsheathed his sword and focused his energy into it causing the darkblue columns on the sword to glow with his energy

 

"Fight like a master Swordsman, fight to the best of your ability…I'll fight like Kyoku. I can't hurt them but...I can at least defend myself" Neku thought

 

The energy scythe and sword clashed as Neku tried to push it back but to his surprise Neku glanced over at Mr. H who was charging Angel fire in his hand and shot it at Joshua, sensing Mr. H's energy Joshua then extended out his right hand and shot out his Composer energy pushing back his Angel friend's energy.

 

Seeing this as an opportunity to attack him but NOT kill him, Neku then focused his energy, even more, causing the sword to be wrapped in his energy, at the same time Neku then closed his eyes and created his armored form powering up his energy even more and blasted Joshua back with his energy.

 

As Joshua rose to his feet he saw Mr. H was in the air with his Angel wings and fired orbs of energy down at his two friends. Being in his armored form Neku ran towards Mr. H and leaped in the air tackling him to the ground and was about to punch Mr. H in the face, but he just couldn't do it. Mr. H then shot Neku with his Angel energy causing him to go crashing to the ground feeling like he had cuts on his body.

 

Neku got back up and saw that his armored form had cracks in it and knew that he wouldn't be able to last in that form much longer. Neku then powered down panting out of breath from how the energy takes a lot out of him and tapped into his imagination and created two spray paint cans along with a skateboard.

 

He then hopped on the skateboard and blasted lighting from behind him out of the spray paint cans and flew towards Mr. H. he then blasted lightning at Mr. H only to have the Angel block it with his energy.

 

Mr. H then created five clones of himself each one surrounding Neku and Joshua

 

"No! CAT don't!" Neku screamed in his head

 

The clones all fired energy at the opponents causing Neku to shield himself in a dome of his energy (with Joshua doing the same) causing him to let out whimpers of pain since it was hurting him to have to push his energy this hard since he (unlike Joshua) isn't as close to Mr. H's power without his Angel energy.

 

The five energy rays dissolved causing Neku to charge at Mr. H recreating his swipe attack he'd use on the Noise. Mr. H dodged them filled with concern sensing Neku's fatigue. As Neku swiped at Mr. H Joshua grabbed Neku from the back of his head and slammed him to the ground and stomped on Neku's chest causing him to cough up orbs of his energy

 

"this is a free for all match Neku we can both sense how you're hesitating to hurt us." Joshua said slyly

 

Joshua then dialed numbers on his phone creating a car and a vending machine to crush Neku with.

 

"You want to live Neku? Then don't hold back. If you do, then I will make you feel the pain of being crushed." the Composer said darkly to his fatigued friend

 

Neku laid on the ground with his halfway open, curled onto his left,  and managed to sit up in the same position he was shot and flashed back to when he saw Taboo Sho crushed under a car and vending machine.

 

"This is, just like how Pi-face was killed. He's really going to do it? He's going to kill me the same way?" Neku thought in shock

 

He looks wide-eyed knowing that Joshua was about to kill him but Joshua hesitated, remembering another part of his life with Mr. H before the Reapers' Game. He was at Wild Kat, talking his friend about his visions

 

_"so...you don't think I'm a freak? I can see things. I see dead people Mr. H but... it doesn't mean I'm weird?" Joshua asked_

_"Not at all. In fact, it's just a rare ability you have. Some people can see things too like you do. I'm glad you feel okay talking about this with me" Mr. H said kindly_

Joshua then felt tears building up for a split second from remembering how he was all alone until he had Mr. H, and how he and Neku had similar values in the Reapers' Game. He then looked at Neku with blank eyes, lowering the car and vending machine to his weakened prey.

 

Neku then used the last bits of strength he had to teleport away from Joshua only to be attacked by Mr. H's clones. One of them punched Neku into the air and slammed him back to the ground getting ready to blast him with his energy. Neku then charged his energy and sent the clone flying.

 

Mr. H then snapped his fingers making the clones disappear and grabbed Neku by his collar and threw him towards Joshua who punched Neku in the face sending Neku crashing to the ground dropping his sword

 

Neku then crawled towards it and charged it into its second form and used it to heal himself and ran towards Joshua slashing the sword towards him only to have the Composer block it and knock it out of Neku's hands.

 

Neku then recreated his swiping Psych again and tried to slash Joshua, but was always a few inches away from hurting him and recreated fire Psych from the fire pin Shiki gave Neku, but made the fire vanish at the last second, so it didn't burn Joshua

 

Joshua then teleported himself to his Proxy. He then grabbed Neku by his collar and electrocuted Neku with his energy causing Neku to scream in pain. As his body trembled from the shock he manages to push Joshua back with a gust of wind, only to have them both sent flying by Mr. H blasting energy at 

 

 

Neku manages to get up and sees Joshua try to punch him. The two boys go back and forth with Neku not being able to bring himself to hit Joshua causing him to dodge Joshua's attacks and try to block his punches. He tries to punch Joshua multiple times but either misses or pulls back at the last second.

 

Joshua realizes this and grabs Neku's neck and electrocutes him with Composer Energy making Neku scream and get launched back even further, almost at the very edge near the fire pit below the arena. Neku then gets in his fighting stance but then sees Joshua become his true form far away from him, making him become concerned.

 

 

The crowd then began to get excited with many of the Angels and Death Gods of the Higher Plane still resenting Neku for how he killed other Angels and Death Gods during his false invasion as the Demon Lord, making them yell and chant.

 

"KILL HIM!"

 

"MURDERER!"

 

"DEMON BOY!"

 

"THIS IS WHY WE KILL PEOPLE WHO BECOME DEMONS! THEY'RE TOO OUT OF CONTROL!"

 

"BRING JUSTICE TO THE HIGHER PLANE!"

 

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"

 

Neku then looked at the stands seeing the crowd filled with angry faces, he was overwhelmed with a sense of dread. Knowing that beings as powerful as them, that Angels and Gods of Death actually want him to die, it overwhelmed Neku with anxiety

 

 

"I...I...I didn't mean to!" Neku said desperate for them to understand

 

His friends then backed him up telling the Angels and Death Gods that they were wrong, that he's not someone who should be punished, but they didn't listen. Mr. H was then hanging back to observe Neku and Joshua. Desperate to at least try to fight, Neku places his hands on his head and closed his eyes and opened them creating a comet of his energy and blasts it at Joshua's Death God form. He then sees Joshua chuckle and sees him blast the comet (making it dissolve) and Neku with a beam of Composer energy making Neku scream as he flew over the edge, barely managing to grab the edge of the arena with his left hand.

 

 

"NEKU!" all of his friends screamed horrified

 

he struggles to pull himself up, noticing he feels like he's being pulled down, almost like the fire used for the pit had a magnetic property to it. This makes him desperately squeeze the edge trying to pull himself up and grab the ledge with his right hand too. Now with both hands trying to pull himself up, he looks at Joshua terrified as the Composer approached him with a blank expression on his face.

 

 

"CAT!" Neku thought "Sanae!...I...I can't do this! I don't wanna die!" 

 

 

Mr. H walked towards Neku along with Joshua

 

 

"I know...I'm...I'm so sorry" Mr. H said weakly.

 

 

Joshua then chuckles and snaps his fingers making Neku scream in pain as Joshua's mysterious Death God form was walking towards him. As he did, Neku felt the magnetic force of the fire increase even more, making Neku's right hand slip, making Neku's friends look at him terrified. Even more so when, as Neku hanged with his left hand, the magnetic pull made Neku's left shoe slide off, instantly incinerated by the fire. 

 

 

"NOOOO!" Eri screamed "You have to fight that force pulling you Neku! We can feel it too!"

 

As the mysterious death god approched Neku whimpred in pain as he felt pressure in his head, like someone was pushing him. He then felt his left hand begin to loosen its grip. He then looks at Joshua terrified to the point his eyes watered for a few seconds.

 

 

"I...I thought we were friends" Neku said weakly

 

Joshua then extended his hand out sending a jolt of energy to Neku's head making him scream

 

 

"Why? Even if this is the Angels' Game...you're acting like you'd have no trouble killing me" a disheartened Neku said

 

 

he was in so much pain that now he winced, onle having his right eye open. At that moment the death god of Shibuya stood infront of Neku and spoke in his true more deep voice

 

"Rest in Peace"

 

 

he then extended his hand out again making Neku fall

 

"Josh! JOSHUAAAAA!" Neku cried out

 

 

At that moment he felt someone's hand grab him.

 

"CAT?" Neku said confused

 

 

"I'm sorry, but...this isn't me saving you. As part of the game, I have to fight. It's my turn now" Mr. H said in a serious voice

 

 

as he pulled Neku back up, Mr. H reimagined Neku's shoe for him so he can fight back feeling more even on the ground. He then blasts Angel energy at Neku, making him recreate his dash psyche to get out of the way and then dash towards Mr. H.

 

Mr. H then holds his hand out, instantly slowing down Neku and then used telekineses to pull Neku towards him. He then choked Neku in the air and electrocuted him with Angel energy causing Neku to hold out his left hand and send a gust of wind blasting Mr. H from him. He then gets in his fighting stance and blasts massive beams of his energy at Mr. H and Joshua only to see them dodge the attack.

 

He then teleports to Joshua, seeing him return to his human form and begin swiping at him with his energy but still not able to hit him directly and merely slashed a few inches away. He then tries to punch Joshua again but misses, only for Joshua to knock him back and choke him over the pit of fire again making Neku wheeze in pain.

 

Joshua then threw Neku to Mr. H and Mr H then blasted Angel energy at Neku making him scream in pain as he rolled on the ground. He then manages to get up, trembling from the pain, only to see Mr. H look at Neku sadly

 

He then sees his Angelic friend pull out teo of Angel feathers out of thin air and one became red, and the other became blue and Mr. H snapped his fingers and became his Noiseform Pantherus Cantus. Seeingthis then made Neku look  at him in shock. 

 

"So on top of being an Angel, he's a Noise too?!" He thought still looking at his guardian friend in shock 

 

 the two Noise forms slashed Neku just one time, making Neku scream as he smashed onto the ground almost knocked out. As he struggled to get up, he hears Mr. H say something

 

"Don't let fear slow you"

 

Desperate to survive, he knew he had to do it, he concentrated and unleashed a massive explosion that Joshua and Mr. H's Noise forms just barely managed to dodge and then recreated his Dash psych. He glided towards Joshua and Mr. H but stopped at the last second.

 

He then teleported into the air and then created seven stars of his energy making them fall towards Mr. H and Joshua who barely dodge the attack, moving to the left, and got a little burned by the energy.

 

It made Joshua and Mr. H to have a little slash on their left leg and arm but then see that Neku stopped and nearly passed out causing Neku to land on the ground and hang onto his left arm. 

 

clenching onto his left arm Mr. H smiled at Neku

 

"I know how much that hurt you. But I'm glad you did it. You finally managed to hurt us, even if it was just a little. I'm proud of you" Mr. H thought

 

 

"Nnngh! But I...didn't want to" Neku said weakly "I...Nnngh! didn't mean to hurt you and Joshua... I..."

 

 

at that moment, he then sees Neku collapse on the ground

 

 

He was at the end of his rope, time had gone by very fast from them fighting each other making Neku and Joshua's timers go down to four minuets and was overwhelmed with pain laying on the ground.

 

Neku tried to get back up but felt his body tremble beneath his weight and fall back down, Joshua was also tired to panting out of breath, and the same went for Mr. H.

 

They were all getting tired from fighting something that Anthony was about to take advantage of. As Neku laid on the ground watching Mr. H and Joshua walk towards him, Neku desperately tried to get up only to feel a sharp pain in his shoulder.

 

"Nnnnngh! No! not now!" Neku cried squeezing his right shoulder

 

"You're so pathetic Neku…you really should be grateful to my sister, she gave you power and now with out it, here you are at the verge of never existing…so I'll put you out of your misery. Oh, and that's right! That little friend of yours Shiki will get to watch you suffer and die. In the long run no matter what happens Neku…I win." Anthony said telepathically

 

"Nnnngh! NOOOO! Nngh I…I don't want to F-Fade!" Neku screamed

 

Mr. H and Joshua then stopped walking startled to see a black aura around Neku and saw his teeth become dog like.

 

"it seems the only way I can overload you is by going to the center of the seal and go to the core of it. where it locks your energy. Don't worry this will be over soon little Fledgling." Anthony said happily

 

"Nngh! The...The Seal's Core? If you do that then..." Neku whimpered

 

Neku then slid his hand down his right shoulder and opened his right eye to see cracks going into the circle design of the seal causing Neku to then cringe in pain as he felt his body burn…the burning then increased in its intensity causing Neku to scream in pain to the point he was crying and began to grow Demon skin.

 

The Higher Ups had seen enough, Aiden had once again began trying to heal the Player Seal, but due to Anthony being stronger than the Higher Ups, he could only heal it so much and gave Mr. H permission to interfere with the Game and heal Neku…but this is what Anthony wanted.

 

He smiled as he watched Neku suffer from his portal and snapped his fingers creating a barrier around the playing field (which made it impossible for the Higher Ups to interfere with his plan)causing Mr. H and Joshua to feel a sharp pain in their heads, knowing that this would make Neku's demon energy break the seal Mr. H ran to Neku hoping to be able to heal him unaware that there are two minuets left in the game.

 

Neku then opened his eyes to reveal them to be completely red nearly in his third demon form. When Mr. H finally got to Neku he then pressed his hand against Neku's head trying to heal him but the demonic boy smacked Mr. H's hand away and pounced at him on all fours, it was then Mr. H realized the only way the barrier would go away so he could heal Neku was to knock him out.

 

"I'm sorry Phones" Mr. H said morosely

 

Joshua then stood back and allowed Mr. H to beat up Neku watching him scream as Mr. H would punch him in the stomach and blast him with energy eventually knocking out Neku. As he laid there unconscious Mr. H then healed him

 

Neku then regained consciousness deeply confused

 

"why did you heal me? I…I thought you had to kill me right?" Neku said weakly

 

"You're right. I do but, I want to fight _you_ Phones, not you as a monster." Mr. H said as he helped Neku get back to his feet

 

"Remember how I told you how to heal?" Mr. H asked smiling

 

"yeah" Neku said weakly

 

He then got into his concentrating pose and closed his eyes

 

"Focus" he said aloud

 

"Sanae…come on. On the last day you fight to the death…I…I know you don't want to do it and I guess…I don't want to either. But…we have to." Joshua said mentally

 

Joshua then grabbed Neku's sword and walked towards him, Neku then opened his eyes to see Joshua with his sword making him gasp. As Joshua attempted to slash Neku he teleported behind Joshua and stabbed him…with demon claws, filled with shock he instantly pulled them out of Joshua causing him to look behind himself to see Neku become anxious.

 

"No! I didn't mean to do that! I was able to push the energy back before! I've got this! Don't lose control! DON'T LOSE CONTROL!" Neku screamed out loud squeezing his hair

 

"heh Neku, how can lose something that you've never had?" Anthony said darkly

 

With a snap of his fingers Anthony broke Neku's seal causing black fire to burst out of Neku like an explosion sending Mr. H and Joshua flying burning and slashing their bodies and clothes with the energy. He fell to his knees trembling in pain as the demon energy consumed him making Neku feel like he was about to pass out.

 

"Shi…ki" Neku whispered "I…I'm not…gonna…make…it…I…can't move…I don't know…what's happening to…me."

 

As dizzy as he felt he pushed himself knowing that this would make the energy consume him even more. Neku squeezed his right arm using it as a crutch and walked to Mr. H and Joshua who saw his skin become demon skin again, but without the slash marks.

 

"Shi…ki…Beat…R..Rhyme…Eri…I…I feel so…tired…but…I don't want..to Fade." Neku whispered out loud.

 

Filled with grief all his friends could do was watch Neku with tears gently falling from their faces knowing that Neku was about to become overwhelmed by the energy to the point he fades away.

 

His eyes became red without pupils and they saw chunks of the demon skin become white outlined in darkblue.

 

As he limped towards Mr. H and Joshua shooting energy at them Joshua teleported himself to Neku and smacked his friend's blast of energy away.

 

"Neku? Don't you see what you're doing?" Joshua said weakly

 

"If you don't stop you're going to Fade" he said sternly

 

Mr. H then walked over to Neku

 

Neku smiled seeing that he was at least able to hurt them, that he managed to do at least a little damage on them…that he wasn't too weak

 

"Stop this Phones, your entire right shoulder is the energy within you." Mr. H said concerned

 

Neku then charged up an orb in his right hand generating his energy but with black strands of lighting, he then looked down at his timer.

 

"one minute left…I…I don't want to Fade…please don't kill me." Neku whispered

 

He then shot his orb at Mr. H only to have the Angel block it with his hand filled with sadness as he saw how Neku's energy is now like a mist…that he's so weak that he can't even generate an orb properly.

 

Joshua placed Neku's sword on the ground and charged energy in his right hand.

 

"Josh! What're you doing?!" Mr. H said to him

 

"Neku's…in pain Mr. H. He's…he's not just my Proxy, he's not just someone that I've grown fond of…he's not just some kid that I can kill so easily anymore. I feel like…I've gotten to know him so…"

 

Joshua then intensifies the energy in his hand and raises it towards Neku and then looked back at his timer to see that time has gone by again.

 

"ten…nine…

 

Joshua then raised his head back at Neku and continued counting down

 

"Eight…seven…

 

By now Joshua's hand went from feeling tense, to loosening for a few seconds

 

"WHY?! Why can't I kill him now?! why do I suddenly feel like something's getting in the way?" he thought

 

"Six…five…four…

 

Neku then hanged his head and closed his eyes (by now more of his body was white outlined in blue with no demon skin left)

 

"Three…Two…

 

He then fired only to stop the energy making it a few inches from Neku's head and then lets it dissolve

 

The timer then reached zero…and since no one had Faded the Higher Ups discussed who performed the weakest and then the five of them appeared to Neku, Joshua and Mr. H

 

At that moment Neku's friends felt a sense of heaviness lifted from them allowing them to go to the battle arena too

 

"huh you guys feel that?" Shiki asked

 

"yeah we all do" Eri replied

 

"Aight, we're bustin' Phones outta there!" Beat shouted

 

"What wait Beat we need to know what they'll do before just charging in there!" Rhyme shouted

 

"Tsk aight Rhyme I'll wait yo." Beat said annoyed

 

The four friends rose from their stands and watched the Higher Ups talk to Neku and their other friends

 

"Joshua, Sanae and Neku Sakuraba, although all three of you fought well one of you performed with much hesitation." Aiden scolded

 

He sees Neku about to pass out and catches him healing him of his energy leaking out of him causing his body to go back to normal, Neku then looked up at the leader of the Maestros wide-eyed and stepped back.

 

"You little Fledgling, although you fought as hard as you could you couldn't bring yourself to kill Sanae Hanekoma or Yoshiya Joshua Kiryu could you?" Aiden asked

 

"N-No" Neku said weakly

 

"and although they couldn't kill you either, unlike you, they at least tried to do so. You were overwhelmed by their energies nearly passing out…do you deny this?" Aiden said darkly

 

Neku became extremely pale and looked at him nervously

 

"No…" he said hesitantly

 

"Head Maestro Sir…you know as well as I do that he could never do such a thing! Sir…please reconsider!" Mr. H said urgently

 

"reconsider? Mr. H what's going on?!" Neku yelled turning towards his friend

 

"It has been decided Sanae." the head Maestro declared causing Neku to look back

 

He then removed his hood revealing his red hair, pale skin and dark red eyes, the four Maestros behind him also removed their hoods revealing Amonae, Ryu, Ryuga, and Yuki causing Mr. H to hang his head knowing what this meant

 

"I'm sorry Phones" Mr. H said out loud

 

Neku's irises trembled as he saw the Maestros charge white energy outlined in a grayish blue color that was so thick they resembled pillars.

 

"Now, it is time to commence with the Execution of Neku Sakuraba" The Head Maestro said in a menacing tone causing Neku to look terrified

 

"NO! they're going to…Guys we have to help him!" Shiki screamed squeezing Mr. Mew

 

"Grrr I've seen enough yo!" Beat shouted

 

Eri and Rhyme looked at each other and nodded their heads, each one of them grew Angel wings and flew towards the battlefield arena, shocking the rest of the crowd (they knew better than to interfere with an execution)

 

Feeling overwhelmed by being so close to their energies Neku felt his eyes water and hanged his head closing his eyes

 

"Shiki…I couldn't keep my promise. If there's one last thing I could say to you it's that…I…I want you to smile, to laugh, and carry on without me. Please…please forgive me. I'm sorry." Neku said weakly

 

The energies were then fired and surrounded his body and were about to impale his back, chest, lower back, left forearm and right arm when they all heard someone cry out to them.

 

"NO! WAIT, WAIT!" Shiki screamed with Mr. Mew running towards them

 

"YOU AIN'T GONNA KILL NEKUUUUU!" Beat shouted

 

"DON'T DO IT! WE WON'T LET YOU!" Rhyme screamed enraged

 

"NONE OF US WILL!" Eri added

 

Being distracted the Maestros's energy dissolved away from Neku

 

"Guys?" Neku said weakly looking up at them

 

"You _dare_ to interfere with this execution?! We could just as easily kill you all for doing this" Aiden said darkly

 

"Please Head Maestro…S-Sir! Don't kill Neku! Please! Instead let us help him get stronger and focus on the real problem at hand, Anthony! He's the one that made Neku almost go full Demon." Shiki persisted

 

"We were aware of the demon's presence and what he did to Neku. As powerful as we are, Demons are very tricky. This is the first time such interference has occurred. They usually allow the game to go on and don't interfere and respect our game" Aiden remarked

 

 

"And that is all the more of a reason to why Anothy must be killed. I can help Neku too Honorable Head Maestro." Mr. H added

 

"and…I…I guess I can help too." Joshua said weakly causing everyone to look at him in shock.

 

Aiden looked at the other Maestros and telepathically discussed this alternative for Neku and they all nodded heads when they came to their conclusion

 

"Neku Sakuraba, since you failed the Angels' Game and didn't kill your enemies, you should be executed for performing the weakest in battle…" Aiden said causing Neku to hang his head

 

"However…" the leader added causing Neku to look up

 

"this alternative option has now been set up for you. If you kill Genyu Mitarashi, also known as Anthony, your crimes will be forgiven as if you passed the Angels' Game…take time to rest and enjoy yourself, then achieve God Status and kill this threat. Should you do this, you will then be free to roam the afterlife with your friends as a free spirit and do whatever you please" Aiden announced

 

Shiki walked up to Neku and held his hand for some much needed support

 

"Do you accept these terms?" the Head Maestro asked

 

Neku then squeezed Shiki's hand and took a deep breath and lets it out slowly

 

"I…I do." Neku replied


	25. The Two Friends

Neku looked at the head Maestro in shock still in disbelief over what he agreed to do, and wondered if he could even achieve God Status knowing that it could kill him, on top of that his body still stinged from his energy leaking out of him and could still feel parts of his body burn from when it leaked out. Aiden then placed his hood back on, along with the other Maestros and snapped his fingers removing from Neku's memory what they looked like and did this to Neku's other friends.

 

Ryuga then opened a portal and walked into it along with the other Maestros. Neku and all his other friends followed them glad to be leaving the Game but as they walked towards the portal, he couldn't help but wonder what happened to Takato

 

"Where are you? Did you go back to the Demon Realm?" he wondered in his head

 

Shiki noticed how Neku was squeezing his right forearm

 

"Does your body still hurt?" Shiki asked concerned

 

"yeah it only stings though." he answered

 

Shiki then smiled and held Neku's hand again surrounding him with white Angel energy. Neku then closed his eyes and opened them again and smiled back at her

 

"thanks" he said grateful

 

"Heh, I'm just glad you're okay" Shiki said sweetly

 

Eri, Beat, and Rhyme looked at each other and smiled glad that they were all going back

 

As Mr. H and Joshua walked behind them the Angel had a telepathic conversation with his Death God friend

 

"what was with you back there? You've never hesitated killing someone before. That's not like you Joshua." Mr. H said concerned

 

"It's nothing Sanae I did what I had to" he replied mentally

 

The conversation continued with Joshua being completely silent

 

"heh what's wrong? If I didn't know any better I'd say you seem down! You know, this is sorta like when you and I checked up on Phones one week after the Reapers' Game. You were silent then too remember?" Mr. H said smiling at him

 

"I think you're finally starting to understand that part of your life Josh…You were lonely…weren't you?" he asked hoping to get a response

 

Joshua merely looked away from his friend and kept walking.

 

Neku and his friends all arrived in the Higher Ups's Court room where they announced that the Angels' Game was over and that everyone was dismissed.

 

When Neku and his friends returned to the HP Shibuya he was startled to see a familiar face, Taki. At one point during the Game he left the Blank Void and teleported to the Fledgling district knowing that the Higher Ups would be busy with the Angels' Game knowing that he couldn't help Neku.

 

He explains this to his old friend filling Neku with frustration yet at the same time understanding him.

 

"I'm a creature that's not supposed to exist…I can't be around you…if I get angry or feel some other intense emotion I might try to kill you." he said sadly

 

"what? Taki I know you have control over the demon energy…if anything I'm the one you should be worrying about." Neku said hiding his face

 

"what? What do you mean?" Taki said surprised

 

Neku then explained what Anthony has done to his energy making it so unstable and how he's nearly Faded from his energy going out of control causing his longtime friend to hang his head.

 

"I'm…so sorry man. I wish you never had that energy inside you." Taki said morosely

 

He then begins to walk away not wanting to get too angry and hurt Neku, but as he did thi,s Shiki ran up to him and explained that she can neutralize Demon energy.

 

"So is that how you saved Neku?" Taki asked

 

"Yeah…I can try that with your energy if you want." she said sweetly

 

He then looked at Neku's other friends who smiled at him with Eri adding that he can trust Shiki.

 

"alright" Taki said smiling a little

 

"Shiki? Do you really think you can do this?" Neku said shocked

 

"Yeah I was able to change you back remember? So since Taki's energy isn't as intense as yours I should be able to change him back" Shiki said smiling to him

 

Neku then couldn't help but smile back at her confidence and placed his hand on his hip

 

"Heh, okay Shiki,  you seem to know what you're doing…I'm glad you've gotten stronger." he said with his smug smile

 

"yeah me too" Shiki said sweetly

 

She then closed her eyes and generated her Angel energy and placed her hand on Taki's head causing him to close his eyes.

 

"please, let me in Taki, I want to help you okay?" Shiki said telepathically

 

"Okay" he said mentally

 

As he relaxed and allowed Shiki's Angel energy to flow into him she was able to neutralize his energy giving his friend more control over it

 

They all watched as Taki's gray Demon skin began to fade away revealing the same pale skin Neku has, blue-gray hair, and light gray-blue eyes. He had baggy dark gray pants, and a darkblue shirt with a  tall collar unzipped down to his neck, and a cyan colored lightning bolt. Neku was surprised to even see Taki with his old shoes again, dark gray with light blue stripes going down it.

 

He opened his eyes along with Shiki and saw everyone looking at him in shock

 

"Huh? What's up guys?" he said confused

 

"T-Takato…it's you…you're really back." Neku said still surprised

 

Taki looked down as his hand to see his skin being the way it was when he was human making him smile and run up to Neku pushing him, causing Neku to push him back and eventually roughhouse with him.

 

They then stop to have Beat and the rest of Neku's friends congratulate Taki, even the Composer district Mr. H and Joshua were surprise to see how Shiki was able to not only neutralize demon energy, but now enable one to control it.

 

"It looks like a new era's starting in the Higher Plane huh boss? Thanks to Shiki now we Angels know how to remove Demon energy without killing that person's Soul, like the way she got Phones back." Mr. H said smiling

 

Joshua smiled with his hands in his pockets

 

"Yup who would've thought Neku and his friends would have such an impact on the Afterlife." Joshua said chuckling

 

Neku and his friends all hanged out together showing his old friend the parts of Shibuya that were used for missions and eventually taught him how to make his own house. They all walked around the city some more with them eventually parting ways. As Neku walked back to his house he heard some one call his name.

 

"Neku…do you think we could talk for a bit?" Joshua exclaimed

 

"huh? Um…sure Joshua." Neku said aloud

 

The Death God then teleported himself to the HP Shibuya as a ball of light making Mr. H wonder what he wanted to talk about with his Proxy.

 

He then became human and said that he wanted to talk to Neku on the 104 building, his and Mr. H's favorite spot in Shibuya because of its bird's eye-view. Neku and Joshua then teleported themselves on top of the building standing on top of it where Joshua revealed what he wanted to tell Neku.

 

"There's something I want to tell you Neku…I usually don't tell anyone this but you need to know incase things don't go according to plan." Joshua said sternly

 

"huh? According to plan? You mean…my training to become the top ranking, God, and achieve God Status?" Neku said curiously

 

"Exactly…I've been contemplating certain things Neku so…I want you to know about who I am…I've watched you grow and become more powerful since you first came to the Higher Plane and I've seen at first hand how powerful you really have become. I also know what could happen to you in your training after all, Composers and Angels have tried to acchieve God Status in the Higher Plane and only very few of them could...and the ones that did, are all gone now. The form is so powerful it overwhelmed them and killed them" Joshua said seriously something that made Neku a little uneasy

 

"I've gotten to know you better since our time in the UG and I feel like now…you need to know who I am." Joshua added

 

"Josh?" Neku said concerned

 

"He's NEVER this open to me…is the training to achieve God Status really that impossible?" he thought nervously

 

"You see Neku, you and I are a lot alike and that's why I was able to understand why you hated people back then." Joshua explained

 

"I, am the same way…" he said smiling a little

 

He then told Neku about when he was in the RG, causing Neku to remember what Mr. H said about him  
how Joshua has always been alone

 

"I've never been good with people either Neku...just like you, I always had a hard time making friends" Joshua admitted

 

"really?" Neku thought

 

"I was born and raised in Shibuya, just like you. I couldn't stand all the trends, all the pointless obsessions people had, things that didn't really seem to matter, yet people cared. Things like obsessing over celebrities, and their lives. Why care about someone else's life when they don't even care about you?" Joshua said crossing his arms

 

"Yeah...I totally get that" Neku said with his hands in his pockets and hiding his face

 

"It's because I had that mindset, values that clashed with everyone else, that no one really liked me...eventually, I grew to prefer being alone and not worry about others liking me." Joshua continued

 

Joshua then smiled a little, like it felt good telling Neku his past, but then he went back to being serious

 

"As I grew older, and more and more distant from others, I began to...think back to my life when I was little, that's when I first began to see things. It made me wonder if I was crazy, it made me wonder if there was something wrong with me...I didn't understand." he said a little sad

 

"Wait, see things?" Neku said quietly while looking at him

 

"Yeah, I remembre now, Mr. Hanekoma said you 'see dead people' that you could somehow see the Players of the UG"

 

"that's exactly right Neku." Joshua said with a chuckle

 

"For us, the people of the RG, being on the outside looking in, the players look like ghosts. For the select few people that somehow see the dead...I didn't understand why I had this ability, but it just made me seem strange to people, like I was starring off into space when in reality, I was seeing something almost no one else could." Joshua continued

 

"that's crazy Joshua...so...he really wasn't exaggerating...but...why? Why is it that some people can see the dead?" Neku said a little confused

 

"Not sure" Joshua replied

 

"All I would guess is...maybe it was part of my mindset...after all...just like just like Shiki...

 

Joshua then sighed

 

"I too, saw no point in being in this world"

 

Neku then looks at Joshua in shock, never suspecting his very reserved, and stoic friend to ever seem so vulnerable

 

"That's when I met Mr. H, I one day went to his coffee shop, just wanting a drink, but...I just had to tell someone, and conveniently for me, Mr. H was willing to listen. It's through him, that I learned about the UG, and the Reapers' Game" Joshua said twirling is hair a bit

 

"Sanae...was there for him too?" Neku thought stunned "Josh...just who exactly...are you?" 

To be continued...


	26. The Two Friends part 2

 

Neku then looked at Joshua in disbelief, he couldn't believe how alike they really were.

 

"Wait a minute back up...what about when you were a kid? You had to have something to help you back then...right?" Neku said weakly clasping is right shoulder

 

"Sadly no" Joshua said sternly

 

"My ability to see the dead is a gift I guess...that I've had for many years. Like I said before, as a kid...I could see things too. I didn't want people to think I was crazy, so I wouldn't tell anyone...but that made me start to close off more and more as a kid, until...I...hardly felt anything....I don't really show emotions as you know. Like you, I'm very withdrawn, in many cases, even more than you. So anyway....Back to Sanae...I told him all the things I was seeing...how...odd it was and yet, how I grew use to it" Joshua explained

 

"Sanae reassured me and said I wasn't going crazy, that I just have a unique mind and soul, able to sense things that almost no one else can...it helped being able to talk to someone. So I would visit his coffee shop more and more to learn about the UG, this...mysterious plane of existence that I could somehow see. He then told me something that intrigued me, something that I then became obsessed with." Joshua said with a chuckle

 

"well...what was it?" Neku asked with his right hand in his pocket and left hand upward

 

"The Reapers' Game" Joshua replied making Neku gasp

 

 

"What? I mean... I guess...I know what that feels like too. The Reapers' Game was a dream to me. No expectations, no one looking down on you for having your own values, no one to tell you what to do, or how to do things...it was...something I thought was amazing too at first, before it all went to hell." Neku admitted

 

 

"Exactly" Joshua said to him with a little smile "I knew you'd get it"

 

 

"So like I stated before...I wanted to die" Joshua continued

 

 

"I couldn't stand Shibuya, or the people in it. I hated being there, I hated how everyone would shun you if you didn't conform and liked what they liked, and most of all, I hated how...I felt...and on top of that, I just find life boring. The same old routine day in and day out. It's like I told you before, doing the same old routine being alive, THAT felt like death to me, whereas the UG felt new and exciting to me" the Composer explained

 

 

"Life being boring and wanting something more? Yeah, I get that" Neku said a little sad

 

Joshua then looked at Neku and smiled a little and then continued

 

"As I learned about the Reapers' Game, I grew confident in my decision, knowing that Sanae would be there too. I even found out how he knew so much about it" Joshua explained with his hands in his back pockets

 

 

"Wait REALLY?! you really did? Then, how did Mr. H know about it?" Neku asked shocked

 

 

"that's because he played the Reapers' Game too. Stress from his previous job is what killed him and was his ticket to the Underground. He then played the Reapers' Game, and grew so strong, that he became a Reaper and rose through the ranks to then become an extremely powerful Reaper, until he became a Composer who also ran the Reapers' Game and then an Angel, and ascended to the Plane of Angels, the Higher Plane" Joshua explained

 

"Aw Snap!" Neku screamed "Sanae...was a Composer too and became an Angel from the Reapers' Game?!"

 

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

"Sure did....he did really helped me a lot" Joshua said with a little smile

 

but it then vanished as he for a moment he couldn't help but look down for a few seconds, remembering how deep down he was lonely before knowing Mr. H

 

"Sanae...he was my only friend back then" Joshua said weakly

 

Joshua then takes his left hand out of his back pocket and snapped his fingers, making a pistol appear, making Neku look at him shocked.

 

"Life's crossroads, are as simple as pulling a trigger" he said darkly

 

"Do you understand what that means?" Joshua asked

 

Neku then hanged his head

 

"yeah...so then... _that's_ what you meant when I asked you about why you were in the UG?" Neku said weakly

 

"Exactly. I was there, not just because of my bet with Megumi, not just to use you for my bet, but...it was because I _wanted_ to be" Joshua said sternly

 

"Joshua...you'd rather stay dead in the UG forever?" Neku thought sadly 

 

Joshua then revealed something that made Neku shocked

 

"that's when I played the Reapers' Game as an actual Player" Joshua said with his creepy chuckle

 

Neku then looked up at Joshua shocked

 

 

"What? but how? you said you were a new Player when you first met me! and that Reaper...Kariya, he said you were an Illegal Player because you were ALIVE. That you snuck into the UG somehow and is why you didn't have a Player Pin! So...how could you have died to enter the UG when you said you were alive and snuck your way in?" Neku said confused

 

 

 

"Well, that's because although I had played the Reapers' Game before, and is how I became the Composer of Shibuya, that was a long time ago. It's to the point by the time I was your partner, it really did feel brand new to me. I had completely forgotten what it was like to be a Player. I knew as much as I did about the Game both from what Mr. H told me about it and as the Composer, being the one who makes the UG anyway I want it to be" he said with his hands in his back pockets with his smug smile

 

 

Neku then scratches his head feeling a little shy

 

 

 

"When putting it that way, I guess it makes sense. Being a Player again after not doing it for so long would make it feel brand new" he said shyly

 

 

 

The Composer then chuckled

 

 

 

"Exactly. You know, I find it kind of amusing how you seem to have forgotten that I've lied to you before, like when I said I wanted to go after the Composer, despite that being ME. Or how I lied about you needing to get to Cat Street in 15 minutes as a mission. Hee hee. In other words, that was a lie too. Unlike the lie to make you go to the Cafe as fast as you could, this lie was important. Just like how I lied about invading the Composer's lair, I had to lie about being a Player too." Joshua explained

 

 

"Think about it. Kariya himself said that the amount of power I unleashed from my energy beams to kill the Noise to protect you, is very uncommon in the UG. If he and the other Reapers had known I was dead, and saw that display of my power, they could've easily put two and two together and figure out that I was the Composer. You seriously have no idea how much of a target that puts on my back. That's why Minamimoto wanted to kill me after all, to take my place as the Composer." he added

 

 

 

 

"In a way, I sort of do know what that's like. In the 3rd and final week of the Reapers' Game...I...I was the last Player...so I had a huge target on my back, every single Reaper that was still in the game, wanted me gone. Everyone tried as hard as they could to make me face Erasure" Neku said clenching his right shoulder

 

 

Joshua then chuckled

 

"Ah that's right, I was gone after the 2nd week and didn't come back until later on. So missed out on what it was like for you. I suppose that is sort of what it's like." Joshua said pulling his hair back 

 

 

 Joshua then continued to tell Neku how he became the Composer that he is now

 

 

"I met Sanae there, and that's when I learned that he was the Guardian of the Reapers' Game, to make sure that the rules of the Game were followed. Oh and I know what you're thinking, you're thinking about what I left behind Neku. I know it must have hurt Mother and Father, and I know that's something that must be truly painful...but the truth is...I don't care. I grew so detached from...everyone while in Shibuya...that it didn't really matter anymore. I wiped their memories of ever having a kid when I became Composer anyway."

 

Hearing Joshua talk about his parents so coldly made him hang his head again

 

"I then played the Reapers' Game for its intended amount of time: 1 week. But I didn't want to go back...so...I was given the option to stay in the UG as a Reaper and play the game again. When the time for it to return came to be. I agreed, and from there, I began my journey to become the most powerful ranking in the UG: The Composer. When a Reaper, becomes a Death God, and if you want to go even higher, Angel."

 

"What?!" Neku roared

 

"But what about your partner?!" Neku said shaking his fist

 

"the person got a second chance at living, and we parted ways...simple" Joshua said crossing his arms

 

"you...didn't care at all?" Neku asked

 

"No, attachment brings pain Neku, that's something I'm sure you know about. it would've just made saying goodbye to her harder." Joshua replied

 

"Yeah...that I know from experience" Neku added "just getting attached to people is... a bad idea...but..what about what you said to me?"

 

_"Only when we let strangers in, do we find new ways to be ourselves"_

 

"that's what Sanae was for me. A stranger who I let in, and learned how I could be myself. Not so much with my Partner. Through her, I learned how to rely on my partner, but it was just to achieve my goal...no attachments. in a way, I guess she did help though. It was through her, too, how I learned my new way of being myself, that I could actually be around people...but for my own reasons and actually tolerate them" Joshua said with a little smile

 

"But like you, I had a real friend, with Sanae. He would save me a lot of times. As we spent all that time together, that's how I eventually found out he was CAT. There were times where I was still getting used to being a Reaper and would almost be Erased...eventually I got better and better, mastering all the Reaper Sports. The Sports were made as training, to teach the Reapers skills that would apply to them when facing a Player. My Journey in the Reapers' Game was years ago. That's why by the time you came along, I was already the Composer and had run many Games by then."

 

Neku, processing this information then felt a little confused

 

"Years? But then how come when I met you, you looked the same age as me?" Neku asked

 

"That's because, when you become the Composer or an Angel, the effects on your body that originally happen as a Reaper, are amplified. When a Reaper kills a Player, they collect points. These points help sustain their bodies and slow down the aging process, making a Reaper able to live much longer than the average human. But when you reach Composer or Angel ranking, the Age process is slowed down so much, that it completely stops." Joshua answered

 

"The moment you become the Composer or an Angel, you're no longer truly human anymore, but rather an energy being, you are eternal. So I technically have no age now, and neither does Mr. H, we just look the ages we were when we died. Even then, you can alter your physical appearance to look however you want with high levels of imagination too." Joshua explained

 

"that's...incredible. I never knew imagination could get to that point." Neku said clasping his right shoulder

 

"It truly is, and yet...even when I became a god, I still felt annoyed by Shibuya and wanted to destroy it" Joshua said crossing his arms

 

Neku then couldn't help but feel a little sad

 

"But...Shibuya was still your home...why would you want to destroy it?" Neku said weakly

 

"the reason I wanted to destroy Shibuya was that I saw all of the faults in everyone being too toxic. As Composer, I observed the city for a long time. I saw how its influence was too strong. It made people vain, self-centered, filled with anger, hate and many other traits that were holding them back. It made worry that this toxic behavior could possibly spread from my UG to the others. It made me realize that Shibuya needed to be destroyed. And as Composer of Shibuya, I don't just rule over the city...in a way, I am the city. I have a direct link to it. That's why the UG began to break apart during the 3rd week, I had been gone for too long." Joshua said seriously

 

"You're...linked to Shibuya? But what about Sanae? He was the one who got the Pi-Face to try to kill you!" Neku said concerned

 

"Yes, and that was out of desperation. If he had killed me, then Sho would take my place. That's why Mr. H referred to it as destroying one life, to save thousands. After all, Sho had no intentions of destroying the city. If anything, he'd probably just fill Shibuya with his trash heaps" Joshua answered

 

"then as time passed and after I became a Composer and Sanae became an Angel, we ascended to the Higher Plane and made that our new home. During our time when we were new here, that's when Mr. H became a soldier for The Higher Ups and fought Soul Stealers and while I was still new to the Higher Plane, they tried to kill me, and almost did." The Composer said darkly

 

"Soul Stealers?" Neku asked hiding his concern

 

"They're a group of demons who are servants of the Demon Lord or mistress, but only present themselves to the top two demon ranks, known for wearing dark gray cloaks to hide themselves that specialize in draining a spirit's energy, making them kill human souls in a matter of seconds" The Composer explained crossing his arms

 

Neku couldn't help but look at Joshua wide-eyed knowing that he was almost killed by them. hearing such a description made Neku hide his eyes in his bangs and hands in his pockets as he became pale

 

"They...they can kill in a matter of seconds?" Neku thought scared

 

he then took a deep breath and color returned to his body. Joshua then continued and told Neku about the many demon fights he had with Mr. H at his side

 

 

"There was another fight where there was even a point where the fight got so bad, that it took a while for him to get back and I thought the worse had happened" Joshua explained

 

Joshua then couldn't help but flash back to what he said when he thought he had lost his only friend

 

_"Sanae, did he really?" Joshua thought as he looked down_

 

"Anyway, as we got more adjusted to being immortal, we saw many people with strong minds and souls arrived in the Higher Plane, I also got to watch a harder version of the Angels' Game, where almost all Players were killed. it was rather entertaining, to say the least...but for one reason of another…before I started the game again, many years before that, I noticed there were some people like me in Shibuya and I noticed especially...everything you went through. Everything else then led to you" Joshua said with his arms crossed

 

he then closed his eyes and imprinted the conversation to Neku's other friends allowing them to know everything Neku does, and know him just as well as Neku. At that moment, Neku's friends who were at Beat and Rhyme's house all looked at each other in shock

 

"I can't believe it. Joshua was just as lonely as Neku" Eri said weakly

 

"Yeah, he went through so much. Seeing dead people has to be scary, I wouldn't be surprised if it drove him crazy it's probably why he is the way he is and I can't believe he and Mr. Hanekoma both played the Reapers' Game, and that...Joshua _wanted_ to be in the UG" Rhyme said sadly

 

"Tell me 'bout it yo. I can't get over alla that either. I guess...Prissy boy, Joshua, he ain't that bad yo. It's cool that he finally wants us to be his friend too yo. That's how we know this stuff, thanks to him imprinting" Beat said with a smile

 

Eri and Rhyme then smiled too happy that Joshua was opening up to them too. Then everything went back to just Joshua and Neku together

 

Neku then hanged his head with his hands in his pockets

 

"yeah…in Udagawa. That's when you took my life away." Neku said darkly

 

"True but…you weren't the only option. I wanted to choose other people just like you, with a strong mind and soul, you just so happened to have gone to Udagawa a lot. Do you understand why I told you all of this Neku?" Joshua asked

 

Neku then raised his head to look at his Composer friend

 

"it's because…becoming the Ultimate God…is like Capital Punishment. This is like if you were sentenced to death Neku…why do you think in addition to the Composers and Angels that died after achieving God status, that only four Higher Minds have ever achieved this? On top of that…they're all gone Neku…the moment a human Soul obtains God Status…they feel so powerful that they prefer that form…and eventually, lose their humanity." Joshua said darkly making Neku gasp with fear

 

"it's just…you and I are a lot alike…and I know you could Fade away trying to become stronger so…

 

Joshua then hanged his head

 

 

"I guess…you're…like a friend to me"

 

"What? Joshua…you…

 

The Composer then dissolved into a ball of light and flew away

 

"I'm… _like_ a friend to him? Joshua…you…you've finally accepted me? Dammit why can't you just say that?! Why can't you just give me a straight answer? He really sees me as….his friend?" Neku thought in shock


	27. Memories

Neku stood on top of the 104 building with his hands in his pockets hiding his face, just trying to take everything in. he then generates Enlighten Wings and flies down to the Scramble Crossing and began walking around the city. He couldn't help but think about all the things Joshua told him and was in disbelief over how Joshua and Mr. H played the Reapers' Game too, and how Joshua was alone because of how he could see the dead.

 

He also couldn't help but think about the mysterious beings Joshua mentioned, the Soul Stealers and how he survived the Angels' Game only to learn of an even harder version causing him to think about the version he went through. He walked around the city hiding his face again with his hands in his pockets wondering about how strong he really was.

 

"Did I really survive the Game on my own? Did I really stand a chance?…I did right? Even if I fought off the Demon energy from taking over me, in the end when I really needed to fight Sanae and Joshua, I couldn't." Neku thought sadly

 

He then had the gruesome images of the Angels' Game come crashing back to him. He saw the 12 year old girl who screamed for help on the first day. She was letting out blood curdling screams from the Angel killing her he saw tears stream down her face as she screamed wanting it all to stop and ran towards her only to have an Angel pull him towards him and generate Mr. H's Instant Kill Shot in his hand terrifying Neku from being so close to it.

 

"heh…even on the first day...I was...about to lose everything." he thought frustrated

 

"And the Second day…after Joshua annoyed me again and left to go find food…she appeared again as an illusion…she…touched me…wrapped her arms around me making me panic. I always feel so disturbed when she does that…she hugged me…and then…the next thing I knew, Kenta, that serial killer...tried to kill me…he was so massive" Neku remembered

 

"He was way bigger than Beat and…even stronger than him. He had to have been at least as tall as the First Game Master. He was dresses so…normal he didn't look creepy until he tried to kill me. He had deranged eyes…he looked so…weird like something that was trying to look human…he…he was…

 

Neku then felt his hands begin to burn and his teeth sharpen

 

"I have to calm down…ever since Anthony messed with my Demon energy, it just spikes up out of control feeding off of my concerns…just like…before…when I was turning into a Demon." he thought frustrated

 

Neku then took a deep breath and lets it out slowly causing his teeth to go back to normal and his hands to stop burning.

 

"Dammit" he muttered

 

"Even now, that I'm back in the Higher Plane away from the Angels' Game, all the crap he did to my energy is still affecting me." Neku thought sadly

 

As he kept walking around Shibuya more images were going through his head and remembered how he fought the Hunters

 

"But I...I killed the Hunters, I actually somehow managed to fight Angels, I'm stronger than when I first got here, I know I am." Neku thought trying to remember the good moments too

 

He remembered how Joshua had save him and how later on after that the Game had continued. He fought the Angels and remembered how he killed one in its human form. A seventeen year old boy and remembered how pale the human form's body became after Neku shot him with his energy…that he had committed murder and then remembered witnessing the death of countless Players all at once causing him to hang his head

 

"Joshua said that I shouldn't have been able to do that, but I did...I killed Hunters with tons of different energy attacks, it was me...I did it, with my energy." Neku thought trying to be postive

 

This tug of war in his head then continued. He then remembered what happened next…how he fought with Kenta and how afraid he was.

 

"I…I thought I was gonna Fade…I was gonna die…he had a freaking Butcher knife! I wanted to scream…I wanted to run away…I honestly thought it was over…that was going to lose…but the only thing that really kept me going was…them…my…friends. He choked me…squeezing my neck within his massive hands squeezing my throat tighter and tighter to the point…I…I felt my chest start to tighten" Neku thought woefully

 

"My neck was practically getting crushed…I felt like I was gonna die…I was choking... If it wasn't for me throwing his knife at him then…I would've Faded then too. Each day was the same thing…staring at death in the face…knowing that I only had seconds to react or else I'd die"

 

"Plus Joshua…he's a master of Death…so…really could've killed me anytime and he almost did! That ambush he did to me in the Safe Zone, he almost killed me with that shockwave attack!. Being a God of Death all he'd have to do is kill me with just a snap of his fingers really…I…would've Faded…Joshua could've killed me at anytime…and…with one hit! Just like with that Energy Scythe he made…

 

Neku then felt chills go down his spine and his body became extremely cold causing him to shiver. He then used his mind to create the jacket and pants Shiki made for him. And squeezed the zipper of the jacket

 

"Shiki…Beat…Rhyme, Eri, Joshua…and Sanae…I was so close to losing them…to not having something to go back to…to Fading away never to see them again…any of them. And heh ironically the third day with Joshua…heh heh, damn he's so annoying sometimes…but he's just…alone…like me…heh and that's his idea of fun…messing with me. Ironically the third day was the only break I really had in the Game even if he did sort of ruin it." Neku thought smiling a little

 

He then remembered how he was nearly killed by Kyoku in his sleep and how Joshua save him again he then remembered how later on he fought the same ninja again only to nearly lose his life to the assassin. He remembered the excruciating pain he went through. He remembers her slashing him over and over with her sword, how she dug her katana into him.

 

And how she electrocuted him. He remembered how he was overwhelmed with pain, the weapons slashing against his skin. The Kunai she dug into his arm causing his energy to leak out of him. How she tortured him causing him to scream in pain to the point he was crying…and how CAT had saved him.

 

He remembered how he was sent flying into the forest and how he was so weak that just being in the Game was hurting him, that it was hurting his body every time he wheezed in pain and how he thought he'd never seen his friends again.

 

He continues walking in Shibuya with his thoughts racing and began to walk to Udagawa to look at the Tag Mural. By then, he felt warm again and switched back to his normal clothes

 

"I…I saw her…she unsheathed her sword and nearly killed me…my friends…they all would've watched me Fade!" he thought filled with frustration, causing him to squeeze his hair

 

He then looked up at the Tag Mural and placed his hand on the Ghost Cat making him smile a little

 

"Sanae…CAT you…you saved me back then too…I almost lost everything I…would've Faded but…you…protected me and even when I thought you betrayed me…when you freaked me out, the next day…you were protecting me from the Angels trying to kill me…it was excruciating the pain that I felt…I…I felt like it was hurting me to move…all I could do was lay there and wait for myself to Fade…but…in the end you were there for me CAT." he thought happily

 

"and I even fought back the Demon energy, I remember! You were there, you saw me push myself back up, eventhough the demon energy was weighing me down! So...I'm getting better...right?" Neku thought trying to focus on CAT

 

He then walked away from the Tag Mural thinking about how in the long run it was Mr. H who helped him survive causing him to hide his face again

 

"Would I have survived the version Kyoku went through? I…I'm…not strong enough…Joshua…Mr. Hanekoma…they were there for me the whole time…I'm too weak." he said feeling pathetic

 

"No, that's not true...I...I was fighting on my own! Most of the time I hardly saw Joshua, and Sanae only helped a few times. Why...why can't I feel better? Is my demon energy trying to hurt me again?" he said outloud trying to go against himself

 

He walked around Shibuya and started to walk back to his house and then stopped and looked at his home.

 

"Maybe I shouldn't…every time I go there…Anthony tries to kill me. I'm not safe…even in my own home." he mumbled

 

He then felt a sharp pain in his head causing him to squeeze his hair as his Demon energy amplified the doubt he felt even more

 

"Nngh! My head's pounding!…it…it hurts." he said weakly

 

The headache worsened causing him to pant out of breath

 

"what's…happening?…Nnnngh!" he said squeezing his hair tighter

 

His demon energy began to spike up, feeding off of his doubts, making the energy start to consume him and then began to feel his body tremble in pain causing him to fall to his knees and be surrounded by a black aura.

 

"You need this energy Neku…part of the reason you survived is because of this energy…what made you attack Mr. H and Joshua on the last day? This energy…you're not strong enough to kill me and neither are your little friends…no matter where you go…no matter where you are, I'm always watching you." Anthony said darkly

 

"Nnngh! No…you tried…t-to kill me!" Neku said defiantly

 

Neku then thought about how he fought against the Angels and won.

 

"And I even used my energy to fight the Angels when they were Hunters! I know I'm strong!" he yelled trying to feel better

 

"Even if that's true, and you did fight and kill Hunters, you're still weak Neku. You're pathetic, you're worthless and you would've been killed a long time ago." Anthony said darkly

 

The energy began to burn him more and more until the aura became fire causing him to cringe in pain.

 

"You're not safe Neku…and I can kill you any time…don't think I'm going to let you achieve God status without a fight. No matter what you do…you're too weak little Fledgling…and I'll make sure… to kill you when this is all over." Anthony said telepathically

 

The Demon energy consumed Neku more and more causing him to squeeze his arms in pain as he felt like he was being crushed. He felt himself tremble and fall closer and closer to the ground until his forehead touched the ground.

 

"It…it hurts…I…can't move…Nnnnnnngh! I'm….too weak…I can't kill him…I…I would've Faded in the Angels' Game…I-If it w-wasn't for…CAT…I'm not good enough, I'm not strong enough" Neku said weakly

 

 

"I'm…I'm just…

 

"Neku? Are you really going to give up?" he heard a voice say making Neku gasp and raise his head

 

The demon fire then began to revert back to an aura

 

"Joshua?" Neku said weakly as he turned his head towards him

 

"Can you get up?" Joshua said a little worried

 

"Nnngh! Y-Yeah I'll try." Neku said as he tried to get to his feet

 

The aura then weakened and disappeared Neku was able to finally stand up and turn around to look at his Death God friend

 

"Have you really forgotten what I told you Neku? What I told you before you played the Angels' Game?" Joshua said curiously

 

"Huh?" Neku said confused

 

Joshua then crossed his arms and smiled

 

"Give up on yourself, and you give up on the world" Joshua said wisely

 

"Heh, yeah thanks Josh" Neku said smiling back

 

He then lowered his head a little feeling concerned

 

"Joshua…do you really think I survived the Game? That I'm strong enough?" Neku said weakly

 

Joshua then placed his hands in his back pockets

 

"Of course Neku…remember what I told you about your energy? You're able to do a lot when you feel confident in your abilities, sure Sanae and I had to bail you out a few times, but in the end you were fighting on your own and surviving on you own, with no partners to help you, and that says a lot. in the end you still won with your own strength. Your Demon energy was amplifying your doubts, hurting you in the process" he said with a smug smile

 

"So then I'll see you later on?" Neku said weakly

 

"what do mean Neku?" Joshua said curiously

 

"I mean…when this is all over…that I'll see you later…and we'll all get together…as friends?" Neku asked

 

"Well I do have other things to do you know like bringing humans to the Higher Plane…

 

Neku then hangs his head wondering if Joshua could ever really accept him even after revealing his past to him

 

"But… Joshua says causing Neku to look up at him

 

"I suppose I could find some time in my little schedule to do that" Joshua said smiling a little

 

"heh thanks" Neku said with a little smile

 

"Don't doubt yourself Neku, remember that Demon energy feeds off of and amplifies negative thoughts and emotions…go back in your home and enjoy yourself after that we'll start your training." Joshua said laidback

 

"yeah…I'll see you later then Josh" Neku said smiling as he walked away

 

"yeah, and…thanks Neku" Joshua said weakly causing Neku to stop and look back at him

 

"huh? For what?" Neku said curiously

 

"For…not being…like other people…for…accepting…who I am." Joshua said hanging his head causing Neku to look a him in shock

 

He then smiled at Joshua glad to see that they really were friends even if Joshua can't admit it.

 

"heh…anytime" he said smiling

 

He then walked back into his house taking off his shoes as he entered the house and wanted to talk to Eri and knocked on Shiki's bedroom door.

 

"hey…Shiki um can I come in?" he said smiling

 

Due to Shiki being in Neku's mind she was able to sense how hurt his mind was and was glad that he was feeling better.

 

"heh sure Neku." Shiki said happily

 

He then phased through the door and couldn't help but smile happy that his friends were okay and that he was with them again.

 

"uh Shiki do you mind if I hangout with Eri for a bit?" he asked shyly scratching his head

 

She then turned to Eri who smiled at her and then looked back at Neku, finishing another design with Shiki, making a purple dress

 

"heh sure it's okay" she said smiling

 

Eri then got up and walked up to Neku

 

"so come on let's go" Eri said smiling

 

"yeah" he said smiling back

 

Neku then went and got his shoes and they then left the house and Eri commented on how she's happy that Neku likes the clothes Shiki made for her so much

 

"heh well they feel nice…they're perfect for when it gets cold in Shibuya so…I can't help but want to wear it when I'm cold." Neku said smiling

 

"But listen…there's something I've gotta ask you…" Neku said becoming more serious

 

"well sure what is it Neku?" she asked remarking on his seriousness

 

They then walked around the city with Neku being quite for a few seconds trying to collect his thoughts.

 

"it's just…I did so many bad things as a Demon and now… my Demon energy is really unstable so that means that I can lose control of myself anytime. You realize this right?" Neku said looking at her

 

He then stopped walking and hanged his head causing her to stop walking too

 

"Neku…I know you would never hurt me. Shiki trusts you so…I trust you too." she said smiling

 

Neku then turned away from her with his back facing her.

 

"So you only trust me…because of Shiki?" Neku said frustrated

 

"No…Neku I didn't mean it like that. I meant that you're a good person and that she knows this too I know you wouldn't hurt us." she said sweetly

 

"exactly I wouldn't hurt you…but…my Demon energy…Cedric…his energy is…apart of me…so I'm technically a Demon…making Damien apart of me too. You get what I'm saying right? Every time you guys are around me…you put yourself at risk at getting killed by the energy…it's not the same anymore Eri. The control I once had with the energy is gone." Neku said hiding his face

 

Eri then walked up to him and looked at him sadly

 

"So…you wanted to talk to me…to tell me to leave you alone? That I'll die if you go crazy." Eri said hurt

 

"yeah…I don't know how much I can control it now…the energy tends to spike up on its own…and…I can't make it stop." he said weakly

 

She then smiled at him appreciating his concern for her safety

 

"heh, just because you have a hard time controlling it now, it doesn't mean that you're not Neku…you're still yourself and besides, that's something me and Shiki were talking about." she said happily

 

"huh?" Neku said turning towards her

 

"about your demon energy" she continued "Shiki wants to stabilize it again so you can control it."

 

Neku then smiled glad that his friends think about him that they actually care about his well being

 

"You really think it'll work?" Neku said smiling

 

"yeah Shiki's been inside your head remember? So she definitely knows how that energy works now." Eri said reassuringly

 

"heh yeah…thanks" Neku said scratching his head

 

"heh heh don't mention it Neku" Eri said smiling

 

The two teens then walked around the city and they both talked about how hard it was to watch and be part of the Angels' Game

 

"it was something I couldn't stand to see! I hated it…there you were nearly dying, about to Fade and none of us could help…we all wanted to just dive in there and help you get out of the Game." Eri said strongly

 

"really?" Neku said shocked by her caring that much

 

"Of course Neku! You have no idea how much I wanted to thank you for helping Shiki back when she told me about you. I thought you were so cool, so considerate and kind for helping her…back when…I was the one who hurt her, even if you didn't get along at first. Shiki's lucky to have you Neku…you taught her to be happy with who she is, something I was never able to do." she said sweetly

 

"Eri…" Neku said weakly

 

"you were this mysterious, artsy, music-loving kid who helped Shiki in ways I was never able to. You supported her and helped her…I never knew how much I hurt her Neku…I wanted to give up my dream after she died…I just didn't see any point in it anymore…not without her…all I ever wanted was…to say I'm sorry and then…she met you…ever since her meeting you Neku, Shiki's changed. yeah she's still shy but…her confidence is there. She's more comfortable with who she is, it's something that her parents have noticed too." she said smiling

 

"Huh? Well then what'd they say?" Neku said curiously

 

"heh heh, well I was at her house one day and we were working on a project together and we overheard her parents talking about you. They said that they were glad that Shiki met you…they really like and respect you and wanted to thank you for all that you did for Shiki. Her mom said…

 

"That Neku kid has done so much for our daughter I'm really glad she met him"

 

"You really helped Shiki just accept who she is…I can never express how much that means to me Neku…I'm glad she met you." she said sweetly

 

"Heh…I…I don't know what to say…it's just weird in a way…I just… don't know how to feel about this sorta thing." Neku said smiling back

 

"huh what do you mean Neku?" Eri said curiously

 

"having friends…" he said weakly

 

"I'm not used to this. Whenever someone would be nice to me they…they'd just turn on me later on…but not you guys…I may not know you as well as Shiki does…but... I trust you." Neku said hiding his face

 

"Neku…" Eri said weakly

 

"I'm really glad I met you… you were there for me when the Higher Ups were going to kill me…you were putting yourself at risk…something…that you didn't have to do…but…you were still there for me just like the rest of 'em…like my other…friends." Neku said raising his head a little

 

"thanks Neku" Eri said smiling "I'm glad you feel that way"

 

Neku then couldn't help but scratch his head feeling a little bashful

 

They then decided to hang out by Hachiko and just sit on the floor watching people go by, something that reminded Neku of one of the first days he was in the UG and Shiki and his other friends were "people watching" as Shiki had put it

 

He then told Eri about how he's glad she never had to play either the Angels' Game or Reapers' Game…that she was able to live a normal life.

 

"heh heh, it's really crazy comparing the two…one had monsters that I had to kill for three weeks, and...I nearly died a few times too. Even just fighting the Noise and Reapers, every time I did, was a risk knowing I could get killed…but then the Angels' Game, had me almost die constantly…" Neku said weakly

 

"I'm just glad you never went through them." he added

 

"Omigosh this is cause I'm a girl isn't it?" Eri said crossing her arms

 

"what? This has nothing to do with that!" Neku said surprised

 

"Oh really? What you think I can't fight?" Eri said teasingly

 

"Weeeell?" she asked

 

Neku just looked at her surprised he wasn't sure what to say

 

"Um…n-no Eri…it's not like that…I just don't want you to know what having to fight for your life is like! Knowing that any little slip up could get you killed!" Neku said still surprised

 

Eri then shook her head

 

"Ugh! Neku I was just kidding" she said sternly

 

"heh, I'm glad you're just looking out for me" she said smiling

 

"Huh?" Neku said confused

 

Eri then began to laugh causing Neku to do the same.

 

They then got off the ground and headed back to the Scramble Crossing

 

"heh I really needed that Eri…thanks" Neku said smiling

 

"heh, no thanks needed Neku, you're just looking out for your friends that's all" she said smiling back

 

As they started to head back to Neku and Shiki's fused house his demon energy began to spike out of control again making Neku get a headache again.

 

"Nngh! No…not Nngh! not now!" Neku whimpered in pain

 

"Neku! Neku what's wrong?! What's happening?!" Eri cried

 

Neku then began to pant out of breath from the headache causing him so much pain

 

"No…come on! We gotta get you out of here!" Eri screamed worried

 

"Nnngh! R-Run!…you have to….get…away from me…Please! Eri…runaway…from me!" Neku screamed as he squeezed his hair

 

"what?! I can't leave you like this!" she said defiantly

 

As Neku cringed in pain she saw his teeth sharpen causing her to get nervous. His skin became gray and he then had black slash marks go up to his shoulders again causing him to scream in pain.

 

"No! what's happening to him?!" Eri thought nervously

 

She then began to back away from Neku and started to head to Shiki's house to warn her about Neku, but as she did this, he began to growl and his hair became dark gray again.

 

As she heard him snarling she stopped running and turned around to see Neku open his eyes and saw how they were completely red. and had gray skin, but no slash marks. He then roared as he ran on all fours after Eri. She then ran as fast as she could to get to the house, but Neku ran faster getting closer to her in a matter of minuets

 

"it's her…that girl that I saw…she had pink hair and I was choking her with some sort of energy…" Neku thought as his mind was distorted

 

Shiki sensing this immediately ran out of her room and started heading down the stairs to the entrance of her house when she heard a scream

 

"NO! NEKU!" Eri screamed terrified

 

The demonic boy then lets out an inhuman roar as he slashed her right cheek sending her flying he then ran after her on all fours as usual when he felt a gust of wind knock him back. Shiki teleported herself over to Eri and generated her Angel energy

 

Neku then pounced at Shiki and attempted to slash her face with his left hand. She then grabs it and squeezes his hand (causing his claws to merely scrape her)with her right hand and places her left hand on Neku's forehead.

 

She then closed her eyes and a white aura surrounded her body, as it did this Eri looked at her amazed as the energy then flowed into Neku causing him to go back to normal and nearly passes out. He caught himself using his right arm as crutch while Shiki held onto his shoulders.

 

"Nngh! Shiki" he whispered

 

"it's okay Neku…I'll help you get better." she said sweetly

 

She generated Angel energy again to help Neku not feel so weak and made him feel better, he let's go of his arm and stands on his own causing Shiki to let go of him. Feeling hurt with guilt causing him to hide his face in his collar with his hands in his pockets

 

"Sorry…" he said weakly

 

He then raises his head to see Shiki have a slash mark on her arm and slashes on Eri's face causing him to then hang his head.

 

"Neku…don't beat yourself up over this, it's okay." Shiki said sadly

 

"Yeah…Neku please don't hold this against yourself…it's not your fault." Eri said sadly as well

 

He then looked up at them looking at their slash marks and begins to walk away from them. He then generates Angel wings preparing to dissolve into a ball of light and leave them.

 

"Neku wait, don't go!" Shiki shouted

 

He then became a ball of light and teleported to another part of the city.

 

"Neku…" Shiki said weakly

 

The two friends then healed themselves and told Beat, Rhyme and about Neku's disappearance.

 

"What?! No! We gotta find Phones yo! Every time he's alone that demon freak tries to mess wid him man! I'mma go get Phones!" Beat shouted running towards the front of his house

 

"Beat wait! We don't even know where Neku could be! We need to think about this!" Rhyme persisted

 

"we ain't got time for that Rhyme! The more we jus' sit here the more Neku's gettin' hurt by that energy yo! We gotta go NOW!" Beat said frustrated

 

"Beat we will find Neku but we just have to get a plan going" Shiki said calmly

 

"yeah, Shibuya's huge. He could be anywhere so if he's still in this district we should split up to find him." Eri exclaimed

 

Beat then placed his hand on his shoulder looking down

 

"Tsk aight Dressy girl…er Eri, that's a good plan yo." Beat said trying to calm down…

 

As his friends all went searching for him, eventually telling Taki about this causing him to follow them too, Neku hid himself in the alley that lead to Spain Hill… he placed his hands on his head and closed his eyes

 

"Focus" he said to himself

 

He then created ear plugs, replacing his old headphones and played a song on his MP3 but was unaware that the song was being played outloud again.

 

Shiki and Eri looked at each other filled with heartache over what song it was, knowing how Neku listens to it when he's sad. they then followed the music knowing that it'd lead them to Neku as the song continued. they all felt extremely sad hearing the Japanese version of the song Someday

 

As they headed to Spain Hill, they all felt a heaviness, like all of them were going to cry. As the outro played, he was about to play the next song on his MP3 but felt like he was being watched.

 

Neku then looked up to see Eri and Shiki causing his eyes to water for a split second.

 

"Neku…we heard you listening to that song again, we all heard it…" Shiki said weakly

 

Neku then rose to his feet and looked at them in shock

 

"Shiki…Eri…" Neku muttered

 

He then turned away from them not wanting to show his sadness just incase he got so angry that he was driven to tears hiding his face in his funnel collar and hiding his hands in his pockets

 

"What?…you actually still trust me? …even after what I did to you?" he said weakly

 

"Of course we do Neku." Eri said sadly

 

"But you know I could've killed you right? …Both of you…ever since Anthony messed up my energy…it's been hard being around you guys…knowing that I could hurt you….

 

"Sorry…" he said weakly

 

"Neku…it's okay…we know that you didn't mean it. You're energy's out of control but I can help you fix it." Shiki said sweetly

 

"She's right Neku…besides we're still friends right?" Eri said smiling

 

"Friends…heh heh" he said weakly

 

He then turned to them and smiled causing them to smile back

 

"C'mon…let's get outta here Neku. Everyone else has been trying to find you, you know." Shiki said sweetly causing Eri to giggle happy to see Neku smile

 

They then left the alley that leads to Spain Hill and Eri telepathically told everyone to go to the Scramble Crossing. His friends then eagerly waited for Shiki and Eri to return and they all smiled when they saw Neku

 

He apologized telling them that he didn't mean to worry them and they all replied simply saying that they're all glad that he wasn't hurt along with Taki adding that he knows Shiki can help him become stable. Seeing Neku so happy couldn't help but make Mr. H smile as he and Joshua watched over him.

 

They all decided that they did enough walking and decided to go back to their houses. There Neku sat in his living room glad he was able to do something so simple again. But as he finally managed to relax a troubling thought raced in his head

 

"If I was considered to be the Demon rank equivalent of Composer, being the 3rd strongest rank for a demon, and I was considered to be one of the strongest, and Anthony is even stronger than when I was a Demon Lord, then…does that mean he has a Noise form too? and what's his rank? And…the Soul Stealers…are they still around…what if…they come after me and…

 

"No…" Neku said out loud

 

"Enjoy the moment…" he said to himself smiling

 

He then continues to watch TV and felt finally at peace unaware that Anthony was not only watching him still, but was preparing to initiate another plan.

 

"You know Izawa now that Neku's in his little comfort zone I think now would be the perfect time to target his stronger friends…and use them to beat him to death as Shiki watches his suffering." he said smiling

 

Izawa then smiled happy with the Demon Lord's plan

 

"Sir do you mind if I add a little input to the plan?" he said slyly

 

"Oh not at all, the more gruesome Neku's death is the better. What do you have in mind?" he said intrigued

 

"well I had an idea that would kill two birds with one stone so to speak, in addition to beating the little boy to death we could also get that meddlesome Angel out of the way too. You know he shares a friendship with the boy and is willing to protect Neku no matter what…we can use this against him…and make him kill Neku and then kill him in the process with RG Soul Obstruction." Izawa said smiling

 

This then caused Anthony to wear a huge grin on his face nearly ear to ear satisfied with the result knowing that Sanae Hanekoma and Neku would Fade if his plan worked…and if it failed…he already had a back up plan set up.


	28. Realground Soul Obstruction

As Neku finally relaxes he watches some more TV shows and flips to different channels he sat watching TV for what felt like many hours, something that he loved. He couldn't believe how he was able to do something so simple again. Finally having some peace and normalcy in his afterlife. After spending some time watching TV he went to the kitchen in his house to get a little snack, but as he did this he felt pressure in his head again causing him to tremble in pain.

 

"Nnngh! …someone's here?" he whimpered

 

Unknown to him is that Anthony had sent three Soul Stealers to his house earlier to see how much of Neku's energy they could drain at a certain time.

 

"this presence…it…it feels just as strong as Anthony's but…it's more…animalistic." he thought worried

 

Neku then felt someone place their right hand on his right shoulder and their left hand on his face causing him to instantly feel weak. At that moment another Soul Stealer began to tear open his shirt preparing to stab his back. The moment Neku felt the demon stab his back, his eyes widened and his irises began to shake.

 

"I…feel so…heavy…like…I can't move…what's happening to me?" Neku thought afraid

 

as he grew weaker he then even had flashbacks of his life with his friends in the RG

 

The third one then dug his claws into Neku's arms causing him to scream in pain. Due to how they cloaked themselves making themselves invisible Neku had no idea who was hurting him.

 

He then felt his body start to go numb and his vision begins to blur, and the sounds of people talking on his TV became faint, nothing more than a whisper and everything started to go dark….

 

Although he didn't know this, the Soul Stealers were very close to making him Fade at an alarmingly fast rate, in a matter of thirty seconds they inflicted this much damage to Neku.

 

As Mr. H and Joshua watched over him unable to feel the Soul Stealers' presence, they both knew that Neku was close to Fading. Just incase something happened, Mr. H told Joshua to stay in the Composer district and let him know if he senses anyone.

 

He then teleports himself to the kitchen of Neku's house where he sees Neku collapse.

 

"Phones!" Mr. H cried

 

The loud thumping noise of Neku's body slamming onto the ground caused Shiki to phase through the the wall of her bedroom and use her mnd to instatnly phase through the entrance of Neku's apartment and run to where she could feel Mr. H's presence knowing that he would be there to help Neku.

 

As Mr. H ran over to Neku he felt the Soul Stealers' reveal their presence giving him a headache.

 

"Nnngh! …Soul Stealers…they're really back." he thought as he squeezed his hair

 

The Soul Stealers were about to uncloak themselves and prepare to attack Mr. H but was told telepathically by Anthony to come back to the Demon Realm and that they had passed his little test and told them to prepare to inflict RG Soul Obstruction later on.

 

The Soul Stealers then became plumes of smoke that flew past Mr. H causing his headache to go away.

 

He then turned his attention to Neku frightened by how badly he was wounded. He had parts of his transparent skin removed revealing his darkblue energy. He had his energy leak out of his right shoulder and his back.

He grabbed his severely beaten friend and turned onto his back so he could see Neku's face. He then saw the left half of it was leaking energy and both of his forearms were leaking his energy too.

 

"They're just as hostile as I was told… this is just like, when poor Phones pushed himself too hard in the Angels' Game when he fought me and Joshua. He was leaking then too." Mr. H thought sadly

 

As he began to glow with his white healing energy he saw Shiki run up to him who immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw Neku. Seeing him so close to Fading made her become extremely pale out of fear of losing him.

 

"Mr. H er...Sanae! what happened who did this to him?!" Shiki screamed

 

"Soul Stealers" Mr. H said darkly

 

"Soul Stealers? What do they want with Neku?!" Shiki cried

 

"they're servants of the Demon Lord" Mr. H replied

 

"What?!" Shiki exclaimed while squeezing Mr. Mew

 

"It's gonna be alright, right now we should consider ourselves lucky that Phones is still here…his whole body has parts of his skin removed…he's really close to Fading but, I know how to make him better." Mr. H said looking at Shiki

 

He then picked up Neku and placed him in his room and continued healing him on his bed.

 

It was a very gruesome sight, seeing parts of his body with huge gaping holes showing his energy, something that Shiki hated seeing and made her cry. Mr. H spent what felt like nine hours healing Neku desperately trying to neutralize his energy while getting his "skin" to be healed too.

 

It takes such a long process due to how once the energy is exposed from a human soul it flows out of them similar to water running from a sink's fossett, but what was especially difficult to neutralize was his back.

 

Neku already had orbs the size of bowling balls leaking out of his back, causing Mr. H to have to use a massive amount of his Angel energy to force the energy back inside him. Upon doing this he was then finally able to seal Neku's back closing the gaping hole on it, and then focused on the other holes on his body.

 

"Neku…I'm so sorry…if I had only felt their presence then…I…I could've helped you. I could've done something…right? Please…don't leave." Shiki thought sadly

 

As Mr. H placed his hands on the holes of Neku's arms healing them and then healed the hole on his face, Shiki saw how tired Mr. H looked causing her to get worried. He transferred his energy to his hands and closed Neku's skin again but due to how tired he was he was only able to close the holes to the point they resembled thin darkblue slash marks. He then looked at Shiki and smiled

 

"heh, don't worry Shiki, Phones is gonna be fine. He just needs to rest now." he said reassuringly

 

"But what about you Sanae? you look so tired" she said concerned

 

Mr. H then backed away from the bed and placed his hand on his neck

 

"Don't worry about me, I can heal myself from this no problem, I'm just a little tired is all." he said smiling

 

"keep an eye on him for me will ya?" Mr. H said laidback as usual causing Shiki to smile

 

"Yeah sure thing Sanae" Shiki said happily

 

He then dissolved into a ball of light and teleported back to the Composer district. Shiki then walked up to Neku and placed her piggy on his bed and watched him carefully as she looked at his cuts.

 

As Neku slowly regained consciousness he had a nightmare of being attacked by Soul Stealers based off of how Joshua had described them. He was surrounded by them trying to outrun twenty of them as they glided towards him.

 

It all felt so real to him that his body began to react. He then tossed and turned in his sleep as he sees the Soul Stealers drain enery from his face making him scream in pain in his dream. His nightmare continued with them teleporting in front of him. He then turns around only to have another one teleport in front of him. The Demons then all dug their claws into him causing him to scream in pain.

 

One of the other twenty Soul Stealers then placed his hand on Neku's right cheek while the other Soul Stealers held him down causing him to fall down to his knees the demon then snarled at Neku and dug his shark-like teeth into Neku's face causing him to scream again as he was startled awake

 

"Neku…" Shiki thought sadly seeing how he looked scared for a split second

 

 

"Neku, you okay? You were just having a nightmare" Shiki said concerned

 

he then looks down for a few seconds wondering that too and then looks back up at her

 

 

"yeah…I'm fine" Neku said weakly smiling back at her

 

"Can you get up?" she asked sweetly

 

"I dunno…I'll try" he responded

 

As Neku used his arms to push himself up Shiki saw how this hurt him to the point he cringed in pain. Shiki then teleports behind him and helps him up and then gently placed her left hand on his back and closed her eyes.

 

He was wrapped in warm soothing energy, realizing what this meant Neku was curious as to what she was doing.

 

"Shiki? What're you doing?" he asked weakly

 

"heh, I'm trying to stabilize your Demon energy while healing you." she said happily

 

"heh thanks Shiki" Neku said turning his head towards her

 

"Don't mention it Neku" Shiki also said smiling

 

"Don't push yourself too hard though…I don't want you to drain your energy" Neku said sternly causing Shiki to giggle at him looking out for her again

 

"Don't worry Neku, I won't" she said sweetly

 

He then nodded his head and turned away from her and closed his eyes allowing her Angel energy to flow into him.

 

They spent what felt like many hours with them just being wrapped in the warmth of the energy as Shiki tried to stabilize his Demon energy to having full control over it again. She then gently removed her hand from Neku's back and opened her eyes

 

"Feel better?" Shiki said hopeful

 

"yeah…a lot better actually" Neku said turning to her smiling

 

"How much of it do you think you can control now?" she asked as her piggy ran to her

 

Neku then looked at his left hand with his palm facing him

 

"I dunno, let me check" he answered

 

Neku then closed his eyes and took a deep breath and then lets it out slowly and felt his finger nails extend outward. He then opened his eyes to see he could turn his fingernails into demon claws making him smile and then returned them back to normal, and then looked at Shiki.

 

"thanks" he said sweetly

 

"heh heh, don't mention it Neku…I just want you to feel better you know? And have that control back" she said smiling

 

"yeah…and now…thanks to you, I'll be able to get that control again. Hell if we do this again a few more times, I really think I'll be able to go full blast and be in control again. Just like how I used to be before the Angels' Game." Neku said smiling

 

"You really think you'll get better that fast Neku?" Shiki said looking at him shocked

 

"heh of course I do. You've gotten really strong since when you first came to the Higher Plane…I know it Shiki. Just the fact that you were able to somehow separate your mind from your soul to come find me proves it. I didn't even know that was possible heh heh." Neku said with a smug smile causing Shiki to blush a little

 

Shiki then squeezed Mr. Mew looking away from him

 

Neku notices this and sees how sad her eyes looked wondering what was wrong

 

"Huh? Shiki you okay?" Neku asked concerned

 

"yeah…it's just…I can't help but feel…weak sometimes Neku, like with what happened to you earlier…when you passed out…and I saw your Soul leaking out your energy, I felt so scared and small…like there was nothing I could do." Shiki said hanging her head

 

Neku then gets up from the bed and looks at her with his right hand in his pocket and left hand with his palm faced upward (one of the little poses Neku's known for doing when he talks)

 

"Shiki…that wasn't you fault…I'm still not sure what happened to me but…the presence I felt…was as strong as Anthony's…there's nothing either of us could've done." he said reassuringly

 

"Besides…

 

Neku then hanged his head hiding his face from her with both hands in his pockets

 

"if you were there too…you could've gotten hurt…and there's no way in hell I'd let that happen…not after nearly killing you so many times." he said weakly causing Shiki to look up at him

 

"Neku stop blaming yourself for that! It wasn't you that's nearly killed me, it's the demon energy. I know you'd never hurt me." she said sweetly

 

Neku then looked up and smiled at her glad that even now after hurting her and Eri with his Demon energy that she hasn't changed the way she sees him. That they're friends.

 

"Thanks Neku…I'm glad you're always looking out for me." she said smiling

 

"heh heh, you're welcome Shiki…and…don't you ever forget that you're not useless. You're not weak…you've helped me out a lot…so…thanks" he said smiling back

 

"heh heh I won't and…don't mention it Neku…I just want to be there for you too" the seamstress friend said smiling

 

She then got off of her bed happy to see that Neku's dark blue slash marks healed and decided to get his other friends to hangout with him to just walk around the city again and spend time with each other. Although Neku was hoping to see Joshua there he knew Mr. H and him were busy and was just happy that they were watching over him.

 

As they walked around the city occasionally visiting shopping malls with Shiki and Eri wanting to style Neku again they then headed towards the scramble crossing when Beat noticed something from the corner of his eye.

 

He then stopped walking and looked towards his right to see what looked like a person standing on top of one of the buildings, but due to how far away the figure was Beat wasn't sure what he was looking at. As his friends kept walking leaving him behind (due to them being unaware that he stopped walking) Beat then sees the mysterious figure shoot black lightning heading straight for Neku.

 

"No! I can't let that crap hit Phones yo!" Beat screamed in his head

 

Knowing what this meant, Beat was terrified and ran towards his fiery haired friend.

 

"I ain't gonna mess up again. I got Rhyme killed by that car and then I got her killed by that shark Noise yo! I ain't gonna let that happen again!" he thought determined

 

Beat ran faster and faster determined to get to Neku in time, as he got closer he then knew what would happen to him. It didn't matter though, he wanted to be there for his "little brother" no matter what.

 

"PHOOOOONES!" he screamed

 

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Neku and his friends instantly stopped walking and turned around, the moment they did this Beat tackled Neku to the ground knocking him away from the energy, causing him to scream in pain as the demon energy shot him.

 

Neku was knocked back with so much force that he ended up landing with his hands supporting him as he sat on the ground (the same position he was in before getting shot by Joshua)

 

"Beat! Why did you--

 

"Nnnngh! Sh-Shut up!" Beat yelled at Neku

 

"I told you I'mma have your back the next time a demon attacks you yo!" he shouted as Neku looked at him in shock

 

"Beat…you…protected me." Neku thought

 

As Beat whimpered in pain as he felt his body getting crushed

 

"You're very strong Beat. Your physical strength can allow you to accomplish many things and be a true powerhouse of carnage and destruction. Your little friend Neku doesn't understand true suffering…you lost your little sister TWICE. He has no siblings! He will never truly understand you! Make Neku understand your pain…make Neku KNOW your sorrow." Anthony said telepathically as the energy began to distort Beat's mind causing him to squeeze his hat

 

"Beat what's happening to you?!" Rhyme said concerned

 

"let Neku taste the true hostility and power you posses Beat" Anthony said to him sinisterly

 

"Nnngh! No! Neku man…he's…my brother! I ain't gonna do that!" Beat screamed defiantly as Neku rose to his feet

 

As Anthony watched Beat tremble in pain he couldn't help but smile at Izawa and then looked back at his portal.

 

"Such a foolish little boy." Anthony said aloud

 

 

he then looks down for a few seconds

 

 

"Soon Clarissa. Soon your death will be avenged" he thought

 

With a snap of his fingers he distorted Beat's mind. Rather then empowering his mind, like the way Mr. H imprints, Anthony was pushing Beat far beyond the limits of one's imagination and into the depths of insanity making Beat scream in pain. He then hears thoughts in his head

 

 

**"Do it. Kill him. Kill him. Kill Neku Sakuraba. He deserves to die."**

 

 

 

Seeing Beat squeeze his head in pain made Neku then generate his Angel energy to try to make Beat calm down, causing his insane friend to smile

 

"Kill Neku Sakuraba. He deserves to die." he then points at the Angel energy saying  "That ain't gonna help you now" he said darkly

 

Anthony then snapped his fingers again freezing everyone in place but Neku and Beat.

 

"Beat you've gotta calm down! It's me Neku remember?!" he said urgently

 

Beat then roars at Neku and punches him in the face sending Neku flying from the impact causing him to roll on the ground.

 

"Nngh…Beat…don't." Neku said weakly

 

He then rose to his feet only to see his mentally insane friend right in front of him causing Neku to gasp out of shock.

 

 

Beat then grabbed Neku by his collar and raised him into the air causing Neku to look at Beat terrified. The demonic friend then wore an evil smile as he raised Neku even higher causing Neku to be suspended off the ground before dropping him.

 

 

The moment he did this he then rams his fist into Neku's stomach causing him to scream in pain and cough up an orb as he goes flying back again.

 

 

Beat then teleports himself to Neku while he's in the air and wraps himself around Neku squeezing him with his massive arms and electrocuted him with his own energy making Neku scream in pain as he's then slammed into the ground.

 

 

He then lets out little grunts of pain as he tries to get back up only to feel Beat kick him as he laid on the ground.

 

"Beat…S-Stop…" Neku wheezed

 

"No…Neku, you're still not one hundred percent better from the Soul Stealers attacking you…you have to get outta there!" Shiki said mentally

 

"Heh stop? You ain't seen nothin' yet Phones." Beat said darkly

 

He then kneeled down and grabbed Neku by his neck (due Beat's energy burning his clothes) making him wheeze as Beat's massive hands squeezed Neku's throat.

 

Beat then smiled as he saw Neku wheeze in pain and electrocuted him again to the point Neku began to cry from the pain. He then picked up Neku and shot his energy as a wild fire at Neku burning holes into his clothes sending Neku flying again from the impact.

 

Beat then teleported himself to his friend again and squeezed Neku's fragile little body making him scream in pain as he felt his back break. He then let's go of Neku and head buts him causing such force that he crashed onto the ground again causing the floor to shatter and receive cuts on his body

 

"heh, you're so fragile and thin Neku…you're so breakable yo." he said smiling

 

As Neku laid on the floor wheezing in pain he saw he was surrounded by his energy again and saw it surging like lightning.

 

"Beat…he's really…this…strong? Could he…have killed me…this easily…at…anytime? If I got him pissed off in the UG, could he have...done this?" Neku thought frightened

 

He then held out his hand to try to generate his energy but could only generate sparks due to how weak he felt.

 

Beat then smiled at Neku's pain and picked him up by his neck again causing Neku to gasp. His grip tightened more and more causing Neku's eyes to widen as he squeezed Neku's throat. Beat then took his left hand off of Neku's neck and generated an orb of energy in his hand and then shot it at Neku making him let out an agonizing scream of pain crashing onto the ground, curled into a ball wheezing in pain.

 

The insane friend then smiled and picked Neku up, and punched him in the face five times and rammed his knee into Neku's stomach making Neku cough up orbs. He then tackles Neku to the ground and kept punching Neku's face up to ten times, and places both hands on Neku's head and electrocutes his entire body wtih his energy making Neku's energy leak out of his body. Followed by stabbing Neku in the chest with his energy.

 

 

He then blasts a massive amount of his energy into Neku's chest making him scream as he went flying and slammed onto the ground again. By now, he can't even move. Beat then comes to Neku and kicks his stomach and stomps on his head dozens of times, each time generating his energy smashing holes into Neku's body, reavling his energy. He even imagines his Skateboard with him and begins bashing it against Neku's head making Neku slowly lose conciousness

 

 

"No...BEAT STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" Rhyme screamed

 

 

as the friends watch in horror unable to help, they sense Neku getting weaker and weaker and see his energy that is surrounding his body begin to dissolve. Something that make Shiki's eyes water

 

 

"BEAT STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Shiki cried desperately

 

 

Eri wanted to get through to him, wanted to say something too, but she was terrified of Beat.

 

 

"He's really this strong? This is HIS energy he's using to hurt Neku! He...could hurt us at any time! Beat...he's too strong"  She thought filled with disbelief

 

 

Neku then has flashbacks to his friends in the RG spending time together and remembers how they tried to help Neku investigate Joshua's Composer form, he remembers seeing the real Shiki at Hachiko and flashes back to one of his few happy memories to when he was little. Neku then felt his eyes water and felt them drift down his face as he looked into the eyes of his friends

 

 

"Neku!" Shiki yelled

 

 

"I...I'm sorry...guys" Neku thought

 

 

he then felt his eyes close and passed out, making the energy around Neku dissolve even faster. Beat then grabbed Neku and placed his hand in Neku's chest ready to access Neku's soul code and began reaching his hand further into Neku's chest making the energy in his chest destabilize to breaking apart like lighting. His friends watch in horror as Beat smiled as he reached his hand further and further into Neku chest making orbs then blast out of chest, wishing they could help him.

 

 

To Be Continued...

 

 

 


	29. Realground Soul Obstruction (Part 2)

As Mr. H and Joshua watched over him the young Composer had finally seen enough and intervened with the fight. He teleported himself to the HP Shibuya and shot energy at Beat sending him flying back from Neku. He then ran to Neku and used his energy to heal Neku's energy making him no longer break apart and give Neku the strength to fight back and stabilizing his energy making it go back into his soul.

 

"Nngh…Josh…ua" Neku whispered

 

"You have to fight back…I know Beat had pretty much no openings when he attacked you. But you need to do better Neku…have you forgotten what Mr. H told you?" Joshua said seriously

 

"Trust my energy…" he said weakly making Joshua smile a little

 

Neku then manages to get back up and goes into his focusing pose to unleash his energy.

 

"Focus" he thought in his head

 

He then felt his energy burn as he activated his energy armor.

 

Joshua then pulled back his hair and gave Neku his smug smile

 

"Now that that's been settled try to do a better job this time. Hee hee after all, you know who's trying to kill you Neku." Joshua said slyly

 

Neku's darkblue eyes then met Joshua's

 

"yeah…don't worry" Neku said sternly

 

He then charged towards Beat and fired his energy at him causing Beat to then fire his energy at him causing Neku's energy to break. He then teleported behind Beat and tackled him to the ground followed by closing his eyes. He then opens them to unleash a massive amount of energy at Beat as a dome of energy sending the demonic boy flying.

 

"Good work Neku" Joshua said pleased

 

He then teleports above Beat and fired his Composer energy at him sending Beat flying towards the ground letting out his menacing laugh

 

The Composer then teleports back to the ground and charges energy in his hands again, but the moment he did this Beat shot Joshua with energy sending him flying back crashing onto the ground. As he got up, he then felt a headache from Anthony also imprinting on his mind too

 

"Joshua!" Neku screamed

 

He then teleported over to Beat and unleashed a massive amount of energy to the point it surged like fire sending Beat flying back. As Beat flew from the recoil Neku shot more energy like fire (a total of four beams of energy) causing Beat to scream in pain.

 

Neku then teleported over to Beat and punched him in the face causing him to go crashing onto the ground getting cuts on his body.

 

Neku then held out his hand and created an orb the size of a bowling ball and shot it at Beat he then snapped his fingers causing the orb to explode sending Beat flying again…but by using so much energy Neku powered down losing the energy armor.

 

"Dammit" Neku said weakly as he panted out of breath.

 

As he panted holding onto his right arm from exhaustion he then heard a voice call out to him telepathically

 

"Neku! Behind you!" Eri screamed

 

He then looks behind him to see Joshua shooting a massive amount of energy at him. With no time to react the energy hits Neku making him scream in pain as the impact makes him go rolling onto the ground again. Joshua was now under Anthony's control.

 

Due to how hostile Joshua already is, Neku was overwhelmed with fear when he saw the look on Joshua's face. It was deranged. His left eye was widened being larger then his right eye as he gave Neku an almost blood thirsty look as he smiled at his Proxy.

 

 

By now Neku was in so much pain that his body felt heavy…it was hurting him to move. His arms trembled as he desperately tried to get back up only to have Joshua stomp on his back making Neku slam his face onto the floor.

 

"Neku…get up" Taki thought with heartache

 

Joshua then whistled a Japanese lullaby as he started to whip Neku with his energy due to how he was almost overjoyed to see Neku in pain. Beat then rose to his feet and walked up to Joshua also smiling.

 

As Neku laid on the ground overwhelmed by his friends all he could do was cry as he felt his body burn. Joshua and Beat fired energy at Neku's chest again making him scream in pain as he rolled on the ground laying on his right side.

 

By now his energy was leaking through his skin again. His left cheek was torn and the right of his jaw was also leaking each one of them took turns kicking Neku's stomach and stomping on his chest making Neku cough and wheeze as he coughed up orbs.

 

Joshua then kicked Neku making him lay on his face and Beat then stepped on Neku's wrist causing him to scream as he felt like it was being crushed. Beat then takes his foot off of Neku's left hand to reveal it was completely darkblue with the exception of his fingertips.

 

All his friends watched in horror with tears streaming down their face as Neku was tortured hearing the thunderous smacks of Beat and Joshua stomping, punching, and kicking Neku in his stomach and chest again as more of his skin leaked energy. his left shoulder was leaking, right forearm, left leg, and right arm was all torn.

 

His clothes were torn and he was covered in scratches from smashing his body against the ground. All Neku could do was wheeze in pain as he waited to collapse from exhaustion. He body ached, and every time he wheezed in pain he felt his body sting him. It was hurting him just to exist.

 

"Trust my energy!" Neku screamed in his head

 

despite how much it hurt just to even feel, Neku tried to force himself to get up, making his body tremble in pain.

 

"can't pass out here" he thought again

 

Neku then pushed himself off the ground and got his hands on his knees and then finally feel a bit better to the point he put his right on his arm as a crutch, standing up.

 

"can't...fight them both" Neku said panting

 

he then tried to run away from Beat and Joshua to get to a safe distance, causing the demon possessed friends to run after Neku. Once he got a safe distance, he then did his usual concentrating pose to try to heal his wounds. As he felt almost completely healed, he then opened his eyes and got in his fighting stance.

 

"I gotta fight back somehow!" Neku thought

 

he then placed his right hand on his head and extended his left hand outward, charging an orb of his energy making it surge like lightning. He then launched the orb at Joshua and Beat and snapped his fingers making it explode. This then burns Joshua and Beat making them smash onto the ground.

 

"It...It worked?" Neku thought shocked

 

Neku then did the same pose and shot lightning at them, making his friends launch further back. he then placed his right hand on his left wrist and began charging up energy, it became an orb as big as a basket ball and then fired it, making Neku unleash a laser of his energy. The demonic Joshua and Beat then got up again after smashing on the floor again due to Neku's laser.

 

"Damn it, I can only knock them back! What am I suppose to do?!" he thought nervously

 

"Doesn't matter. I gotta hold them off, maybe if I hit them enough times I can knock them out!" Neku thought more determined

 

he then did his focus pose again and concentrated

 

"I need a big one, a really massive blast, it's gotta work, it just...has to!" the now troubled boy thought

 

he then had his energy surge like fire around him as crackled and swirled around him.

 

"Just a bit more, I feel it, my body's getting really warm from the energy!" Neku thought

 

the moment he felt ready, Neku then opened his eyes and focused all that energy into his right hand. While facing sideways towards the left, with his left hand clenched into a fist, he then extends out his right hand blasting out a massively thick blast of his energy, making it look like he shot out a comet shaped laser. It was so massive that the moment he fired, for a few seconds all he saw was his energy.

 

This came at a cost though and it made Neku exhausted

 

once the beam then dissolved he saw Beat and Joshua laying on the ground. Neku then felt himself almost pass out, causing himself to clench his right arm again as a crutch.

 

"Did I...did I really do it?" Neku said panting out of breath squinting his left eye

 

Neku then closed his eyes and placed his hands on his head and began healing

 

"Focus on the Angel Energy, not the Demon Energy. The only way I'll get better at using it, is if I practice with it, just like my psychs" Neku thought

 

he glowed with a white aura  which then became white fire as he powered up

 

the boys laid there for a few minutes but then got up again. and trembled from Neku's energy blast. As they stood up, Neku then blasted a massive fire of Angel energy at them making Beat and Joshua scream as the Angel energy burned them and tore their clothes making them smash onto the ground again

 

 

the moment they did, they laid there for a few minutes again and then they teleported to Neku. Joshua then stabbed Neku with his energy in his chest making him scream as his body burned even more. The impact then sent a jolt to his body, knocking Neku back.

 

The deranged Composer then teleported above Neku and unleashed his massive beams of energy on Neku, making the tired boy scream in pain as five beams smashed into his chest, making Neku land on the ground on his back, to then roll towards the left side.

 

Joshua then whistled another tune and smiled at Neku as he kicked Neku four times, listening to his limp foe whimper in pain. He then kicked Neku again rolling him to have his back against the ground and smiled at Neku's beaten face.

 

He then stomped on the frail boy's chest over and over making Neku cough up four orbs each time Joshua stepped on him causing Joshua to laugh Joshua then kicked Neku again making him lay face first on the ground. he then backs away seeing Beat walk towards Neku from behind.

 

"Neku" Shiki whimpered

 

Beat then stood behind him and pulled him up by the back of his hair making the fragile little redhead whimper in pain and then placed his hands on Neku's thin little arms and placed his left foot on Neku's back.He felt intense pressure as Beat pulled his arms behind him tighter and tighter until Beat broke Neku's arms making the broken, weak boy scream in agony again to the point tears went down his face.

 

"Sanae" Neku whispered

 

Overwhelmed with concern Mr. H wasn't sure to whether or not to intervene since Anthony was even able to distort Joshua's mind and began to think of what to do.

 

"Phones…I don't want to make the situation worse but--

 

Mr. H then sees Joshua and Beat firing more energy at Neku making him smash against the glass floor over and over receiving more cuts and tearing his clothes even more. by now Neku laid on the floor curled into a ball, laying towards the left wheezing as he felt his eyes begin to shut.

 

he was in so much agony that it was to the point his body began to turn white outlined in darkblue making his darkblue cuts fade away all together, and yet Neku was still trying to hang on, even though he began to break apart, making his entire Soul become his energy, he still had bits of his skin and his fiery hair and clothes.

 

Seeing Neku so broken and vulnerable wheezing in pain Mr. H then had his mind made up

 

He then goes full blast and teleports to the fight. The moment he arrived there he then lets out a fearsome roar as he unleashes a dome of energy sending Joshua and Beat flying and crashing to the ground knocking out Beat causing the energy to dissolve.

 

"I can't let Joshua down. I gotta snap him out of it and save Neku" Mr. H thought concerned

 

He then sees Joshua get back up and fire energy at him. Mr. H then fired his angel energy at Joshua and then snapped his fingers to wrap Neku in a barrier of his energy to begin to heal him.

 

He then flew after Joshua who then teleported above Mr. H and fired his energy at him making the Angel fall to the ground. Joshua then fired his energy at Mr. H making him scream in pain as he smashed onto the ground and then also felt a headache, desperately tried to fight the energy and not become possessed.

 

"CAT…" Neku whispered as he saw his Guardian friend in pain

 

Anthony then smiled happy to see his plan working

 

"Now…to finally kill you Sanae Hanekoma" Anthony said darkly

 

He then snapped his fingers making the Composer energy beams fired by Joshua even stronger, causing the energy to burn Mr. H making him revert back to his human form.

 

"I can't lose him too! I don't want to watch my friends nearly die...Mr. H, I can't just...lay here." Neku thought as he saw Mr. H scream in pain "I can't die here! I don't wanna die! I gotta help him, I can't lose you CAT!" 

 

Neku then closed his eyes and felt his body burn and unleashed a flash of light, when the light faded, it then revealed Neku was in his Angel form's true power, making everyone look in shock. he then became massive bolt of lightning and smashed into Joshua and Beat, making them go flying away from Mr. H. Neku then teleports to them and becomes a massive dome of energy which then sends Beat and Joshua to the ground. At that moment, Mr. H then lands on the ground carefully monitoring Neku

 

"He's still not used to his Angel form yet an on top of that is activating his Angel form's true power, if he's not careful, this can drain himself of energy in a matter of seconds. And the HP Shibuya is already starting to break apart" Mr. H thought concerned "I wanna help him too, but I have to heal first"

 

As Beat and Joshua struggle to get up, Neku then roars sounding like a lion as he sends a massive comet-like laser at the possessed friends, making them scream as it hits them. This nearly knocks Beat and Joshua out, causing Anthony to snap his fingers, forcing the two to get up and blast a massive amount of Composer energy at Neku. He dodges it, causing Joshua to teleport behind Neku.

 

"Neku! Joshua's--

 

but before Mr. H could finish, Neku looked behind him, grabbed Joshua by his throat, and Joshua laughed as he blasted Composer energy into Neku's chest, making him go flying towards the ground and power down to his normal state. Beat then shot Mr. H with Composer energy seeing him distracted from watching Neku

 

Joshua then shot him again to make the Guardian weak and then Anthony generated a beam of his Demon energy right into Mr. H's head, making him feel another headache and become possessed as well. What was intended to kill Mr. H had now made him another puppet under Anthony's control, something that made the Demon smile.

 

"Hmmm, although that attack was supposed to kill him, I can see how this will work" Anthony said smiling at Izawa

 

they then continue to watch Anthony's goal be nearly fulfilled

 

Mr. H then opened his eyes and smiled a devilish smile as he rose to his feet. He then generated his Angel wings which were also covered in Demon energy making them pitch black and then extends his hands out to Beat and Joshua giving them auras of demon energy to boost their hostility even more and let's out a dark sinister laugh.

 

"ENJOY THE MOMENT!" Mr. H yelled

 

He then leaped into the air and fired a massive amount of energy at his own barrier causing it to break and hit Neku making the tired boy's eyes widen and scream from the pain.

 

By now Neku was barely even there. His eyes were halfway open and became dark and blurry and his senses began to shut down. His body grew numb and his vision began to blur and his hearing was going away too. Everything came out as whispers as he heard Mr. H and Joshua laugh at his pain.

 

"Shi…ki…Eri…Taki…eve…ry…one…I…don't think…I'll make…it…I…can't move." he whispered

 

Neku then began to cry knowing that he was about to lose his friends, something that infuriated them. Regardless of how helpless they were, they all became enraged desperately wanting the situation to stop.

 

But unknown to them is that Rhyme's Angel energy was surging wildly. Rhyme's personality is already similar to an Angel causing it to feed off of her emotions. She's always been sweet and kind wanting to reach out to others and help Neku even when he pushed her away in the Reapers' Game

 

Her energy surged more and more until she felt her body burn.

 

"NEKUUUUUUUUUU!" she screamed

 

At that moment Rhyme's entire body bursted into her Angel form. She then unleashed her speed attack on Joshua and Mr. H attacking them from all angles. She then became a werewolf Noise and viciously attacked Joshua knocking him out.

 

When she then prepared to attack Mr. H she saw him walk towards Neku and once he was right in front of him, Mr. H stabbed the frail boy with his energy making Neku scream and stomped on Neku's stomach making him cough up five more orbs making him even more in pain. the possessed Angel then slashed Neku's funnel collar open squeezed Neku's neck, suspended him in the air and then threw him to the ground.

 

As Neku's body bounced, Mr. H then knealed down towards him and rammed his elbow into Neku's stomach, making him cough up orbs the size of bowling balls. At that moment, Rhyme teleported infront of Neku and blasted a dome of Angel energy both sheilding Neku and sending Mr. H flying away from him.

 

Anthony enjoying the show then decided to kill the Guardian Angel since Neku was already at the verge of Fading and then use Neku's Demon energy to give him that one last push to make him Fade.

 

He then snaps his fingers causing Mr. H to scream in pain as the demon energy surrounding his body began to overwhelm him. It slashed his human form and in addition to this he felt a headache causing him to squeeze his hair and fall to his knees feeling like he was being crushed. The energy began to tear his clothes apart and slash his skin over and over covering him in bruises and scratches making his energy leak out of his skin.

 

"No! Sanae!" Rhyme shouted

 

She then flew over to him and began trying to heal him she pushed herself harder and harder pouring more of the energy into Mr. H until his demon energy cloak vanished, causing the Guardian to pant out of breath.

 

"Sanae are you--

 

 

"yeah don't worry about me, right now we gotta focus of Phones!" Mr. H said urgently

 

Although Mr. H was hiding how hurt he really was he knew for their sake he couldn't show how much his body was aching.

 

He then ran to Neku who was unconscious causing orbs to fly out of him as he laid there, his hair and clothes got a bluish tint with his body being white outlined in blue. Rhyme powered down to her human soul following him.

 

"No! Phones you gotta stay with me!" Mr. H thought terrified

 

When he finally reached Neku he began healing him generating his Angel energy to heal Neku.

 

As this happened Joshua regained consciousness and unfroze all Neku's other friends who instantly ran towards their dying friend.

 

"Come on kiddo,  **don't Fade away** … **You gotta stay strong**  Phones,  **I know you can do this.** " Mr. H thought as he imprinted on Neku trying to get Neku's mind working

 

He generated more and more Angel energy to the point his skin was getting torn with light gray energy leaking out of him.

 

"almost there" Mr. H thought

 

He poured even more energy causing the Angel to let out little whimpers pf pain as he was hurting himself to heal Neku faster. His energy then began to back into his body with only dark blue slash marks remaining.

 

"Just a little more…he's almost there" Mr. H thought pushing himself

 

His hands then glowed completely white as he closed his eyes healing Neku making his darkblue holes go away. But he was at his limit, he couldn't heal Neku of the slash marks he got from cutting himself on the floor. Causing Mr. H to stop healing Neku and open his eyes. After finally healing Neku, he feels well enough to open his eyes causing Neku to be filled with concern

 

"Nnngh! Mr. ...H" Neku whispered

 

"Neku! I'm glad you're awake" Mr. H said relieved

 

As Neku's eyes regained focus he noticed Mr. H was wounded

 

Seeing the man he respects so much, to be so hurt and broken overwhelmed Neku with sadness.

 

"No…Mr. Hanekoma…you're hurt!" Neku cried

 

Mr. H then rose to his feet and smiled

 

"ha, ha, come on now Phones you know it'll take more than that to take me down don't ya?" he said with his hand behind his neck

 

"yeah…" Neku said weakly

 

As Neku looked at Mr. H and his friends, his eyes blurred, felt heavy, and saw his friends tilt to the side, as he laid on his side, causing his friends to run up to him shouting his name as their voices came out as whispers.


	30. The Back Up Plan

Neku's friends all surround him with Mr. H telling them to give him some room. At that moment Beat then regained consciousness and ran up to his other friends. Mr. H then picked up Neku and said that he was going to bring him to his room. The Angel, and all of Neku's friends then teleported over to Neku's room where Mr. H laid him on his bed.

 

"Phones is in really bad shape guys. I was about to kill him, and I would've too if I hadn't had been snapped out of my insanity thanks to Rhyme." Mr. H said sternly

 

"I…I really saved you?" she said shocked

 

"Yup you sure did and in doing so, saved Phones. You may not realize it but you're a lot like an Angel Rhyme. Even in the Reapers' Game you would reach out to Phones and try to help him, even when he pushed you away, afraid of being hurt again. But it's cause of that kindness you just naturally have in you, that the Angel energy I placed inside you reacted to your emotions that way…you're a really special kid y'know. after all it was your kindness that contributed to Shibuya changing in the long run. Your happiness just sort of rubs off on people." Mr. H said smiling

 

"I…impacted Shibuya?…I never thought I could impact anyone." Rhyme said in disbelief

 

"well you did and I'm glad" the Guardian said smiling

 

"But listen…you all need to know what's happening that way we may have a better idea of how to help Phones." Mr. H said sternly causing everyone to become very serious

 

"The presence that Phones felt making him pass out in his house earlier today…was the presence of Soul Stealers, the Demon Lord's servants. As powerful as Neku was as a Demon Lord, his servants, Akemi and Hikaru, were only as powerful as his Watchman. Soul Stealers, are on a completely different level." he said darkly

 

"They're also just as strong as the current Demon Lord, meaning that they have the power of the highest ranking Demons, Neku was right behind Anthony when he was a Demon Lord, and on top of that, they are more animalistic. They act like leeches sucking out the energy of the human soul unfortunate enough to contact them. Odds are that the figure that attacked Beat was also a Soul Stealer." he added causing Shiki to hang her head

 

"Neku…" she thought sadly

 

"They're extremely dangerous and lethal, having a record for killing spirits at a total of thirty seconds or less and wear dark gray cloaks covering their bodies and hide their faces in a hood. If I hadn't had come to Phones when I did then…it'd be all over for him. I had honestly thought they had wiped 'em out when the original Guardian Angels were sent to bring the Demons to extinction" the angel explained

 

"The original Guardian Angels were only able to kill most of the original Demons…but, there are still demons out there that are linked to their power, demons that I thought that had been wiped out. I'm a relatively new Angel, only existing for several years as one, compared to the original Guardian Angels, Angels that are natural borns and have existed since time began." he added

 

"after I became one, I was told about how the original Guardian Angels tried to wipe them all out. Maybe if I could've been there, I could've helped too! I've fought many demons before and killed past Demon Lords and Mistresses and a few Soul Stealers, but... I thought they were all gone by now. Maybe if we had just done better then maybe we would've never had been in this mess to begin with." he said sadly

 

"Coffee Man, it ain't your fault yo. It's like you said, alla that stuff happened before time began and stuff. Yo that's before any of us were even born man. You can't help that you became an Angel after alla that stuff happened." Beat said clasping his shoulder looking down.

 

"heh thanks Beat" Mr. H said smiling

 

"anyways, it'll take time for Phones to fully heal…the poor kid nearly lost his existence. So I'm guessing it's gonna take a while for him to really get better." Mr. H said seriously

 

"Don't worry Mr. H we'll look after him" Rhyme said smiling

 

"Yeah…we're all gonna be there for him" Eri added also smiling

 

Mr. H then smiled back happy to see how loyal Neku's friends were

 

"Heh, good to know and don't worry guys, he'll get through this. Once all of this is over then you all can finally know what the afterlife is supposed to be like, full of peace and freedom." Mr. H said laid back

 

"well see ya later" Mr. H said with a small wave

 

He then snapped his fingers and teleported himself to the Composer district again to see Joshua was already waiting for him

 

"You sure you're okay? You were really draining yourself of energy there Sanae." Joshua said seriously

 

"yeah I just gotta heal myself a bit, then I'm gonna report to the Higher Ups that the Soul Stealers have returned." Mr. H said laid back as usual

 

As Neku rested all his friends took turns watching over him but one of them felt especially guilty, Beat. He watched over Neku first feeling like everything that happened was his fault

 

He then walked over to Neku's bed and sat beside his unconscious friend.

 

"Neku man…I…I'm sorry. I tried to be there for you yo. But all that did was get you in danger. I nearly killed you Phones…I'm so sorry…

 

Beat then felt his eyes water causing his vision to blur.

 

"I don't remember mucha what happened or what I did to you Phones…but I've heard it yo…in my head…I can hear you screamin'! I was torturin' you, killin' you! I couldn't stop yo!

 

Beat then felt tears stream down his face overwhelmed with guilt and grief for how he's harmed his "brother"

 

"I'm…I'm just not strong enough yo. I'm just...I'M AN IDIOT! If I had jus' gotten to you sooner! If I had jus' push you outta the way sooner then…I wouldn't have gotten hit and you'd be aight. Please Phones you gotta wake up." he said sniffling

 

"please…please Neku…you can't jus' give up and break apart man…I'm so sorry for what I did yo! Please don't let it change anthing yo! I didn't want to hurt you …Neku" he said weakly

 

Beat then got up from Neku's bed and sat on the chair by his computer watching Neku.

 

"I ain't gonna leave you Phones." he said strongly

 

"Please pull through man…you jus' gotta wake up yo." Beat said in his head

 

He spent many hours watching over his friend occasionally teleporting drinks over to him when he'd feel thirsty refusing to leave Neku even for a minute.

 

Eventually Beat started to feel sleepy from watching over Neku for so long and felt his head tilt back as he started to go to sleep, only to thrust it forward determined to stay awake.

 

"No…I can't go to sleep yo. I gotta stay awake and be there for Phones." Beat thought strongly

 

He then walked back to Neku's bed and sat down on it again and thought of talking to him to make "time" go by a little faster.

 

"Heh, you prob'ly think I've always been this strong don't you Phones? The truth is I wasn't always like this yo. See Rhyme's always been so nice 'n stuff makin' people take advantage of that and mess with her yo. It was to the point someone made fun of her, sayin' that she was weird so…I got mad an' tried to beat 'em up you know? But back then, back in elmentary school, I wasn't like this. They beat the crap outta me man. I hated it, all I could do was watch as the teachers got involved seein' the kids try to beat her up and pull the kids offa her." he said weakly

 

"it was from then on that I knew I had to watch her back yo. So I started liftin' weights an' exercisin' and the next thing I knew…I got older, 'n stronger and by the time I got to middle school yo, I was the way I am now Phones. I didn't know I…could hurt someone like this…I'm so, so sorry Neku." he said sadly

 

He then felt another tear fall down his face

 

"He prob'ly hates me now…it ain't gonna be the same no more…Phones…are you afraid of me? Did I scare you yo?" he said hurting

 

He then sees Eri walk in saddened to see how hurt Beat looked.

 

"Neku's gonna be okay Beat, remember what Sanae said? It'll take a while for him to really get better." Eri said reassuringly

 

"Yeah…" Beat said weakly

 

He then got off of the bed and walked up to her holding his shoulder looking down.

 

"You think Phones is gonna hate me? I could've killed him Dressy girl…um…Eri." Beat said feeling remorse

 

"Beat…Neku wouldn't hate you for what you did…it wasn't even really you…it was Anthony. Neku's gonna be okay Beat I know he will." she said smiling a little

 

Beat then looked up at her and smiled back.

 

"yeah…thanks Eri" he said trying to be happy.

 

He then walked out of Neku's bedroom and walked down the stairs and sat down beside Neku's other friends on one of the sofas.

 

Now it was Eri's shift to watch over Neku

 

She then walked over to him and held his hand and smiled

 

"I know you'll be okay Neku…you're not weak…Shiki's told me about all the stuff you've gone through until now in the Higher Plane…how you both almost Faded in the War Clarissa made, and how she almost killed you when you first met her. Shiki's also told me how you tried to protect her from Clarissa back when she knocked out Shiki. You've always been there for her…in ways I never can. You became apart of her fusing your mind and soul with her when forging a Pact…and she even helped heal your mind and soul from your past every time you did a fusion attack with her." she said sweetly

 

"I wish I knew what that was like Neku…you have such…special friends. You got to know them in a way that's impossible in the Realground…that's what it's called right? Heh heh, and that's something you're always going to have Neku, fighting alongside eachother and getting worried when your Partner was in pain…supporting each other and protecting each other…I wish I had a friendship that amazing. You'll pull through this Neku…I know you will. Please…please don't leave us Neku" she said with her eyes watering a little from remembering his screams of agony

 

She then held his hand wondering if he could even feel her

 

"You…just have to get better please Neku! Shiki's so worried…you've helped her so much…you're the one that helped her like who she is…please Neku…don't leave us…don't leave her…she's waiting for you." she said with a tear falling down her face

 

She then gently placed her hand on his left shoulder and slid it down to his forearm feeling one of the cuts on his body from smashing his body against the ground.

 

"Neku…" she said weakly

 

She then spent many hours watching over Neku talking to him and it became Taki's turn to watch over his friend who also sat on his bed

 

"Neku…I don't even know where to begin…I hate that all this crap has happened to you…that girl…um Shiki, she told me all the stuff that happened that lead you to becoming possessed by Clarissa's energy, and how those demons nearly killed you in the War…those bastards have nearly killed you so many times…I can't stand it!" he said hurt

 

"we would go and hangout walking around Shibuya…we'd play videogames at each other's houses and all of that and…I just wish none of this had happened to you…it makes me feel like crap, like I failed as a friend…that I just…suck." he said squeezing Neku's bed sheets

 

"you just gotta wake up Neku…you gotta get better please…I haven't seen you since when I was killed by that train…I…I just want to be there for you again man….you can't leave us…please Neku…you gotta comeback." he said morosely hearing Neku's screams in his head

 

Many hours passed and it had then become Rhyme's turn to monitor Neku with neither of the other friends leaving his house just incase something happened.

 

She then walked into Neku's room saddened by all the cuts he had on his body and how his clothes were torn.

 

She then walked up to Neku's bed and held his hand gently rubbing her thumb on his hand feeling one of the cuts on his hand

 

"Neku…I…I don't know if you can somehow hear me but…I'm glad you're still here…we all are. I just can't imagine my world now without you in it…you've helped me so much Neku…I was never your partner in the Reapers' Game…I never got to know you…the only time I really saw you…was when you pushed me away. I never wanted you to hate me…or to see me as someone who's trying to mess with you. I just wanted to help since you were a Player you know? …and…then Beat…he told me how you fought alongside him to help him try to save me, and you didn't even really know him. You supported my brother and told him not to feel guilty about me being killed by that car…you…

 

Rhyme then began to cry from the images of Neku screaming in pain crashing into her head

 

"You can't leave us Neku! Please! I feel like I've only just gotten to know you! And I want to know you even better! Please don't leave Neku…you're my friend…I just wanted to be your friend all those times we'd hangout in the RG after the Reapers' Game…I just want you to like me…please…come back." Rhyme said sadly

 

"My brother never meant to hurt you Neku…he feels awful for what he did…I'm so sorry. You don't know how much it hurt us to watch you get tortured like that…to watch you get nearly beaten to death, to the point you nearly Faded away! You gotta stay strong Neku…Please." Rhyme said sadly as her tears splashed onto Neku's hand

 

She then also spent many hours watching over him until it was finally Shiki's turn.

 

She then walked into Neku's room and instantly felt her eyes water remembering how Kyoku had nearly killed him too, and how in the War he was only seconds away from Fading.

 

She then placed Mr. Mew on his bed and saw it walk towards Neku laying beside him

 

"Neku…I know you're probably not gonna hear any of this but…I just…I'm so sorry! I felt…so weak…I couldn't do anything! You were right there in front of me, and I couldn't help you! You were screaming in pain and…I…

 

She then felt her eyes water from remembering how Beat squeezed Neku's body

 

"I can't…I don't want to have an eternity without you…please Neku…you have to get better…I'm so sorry that all of this has happened to you." she said with her tears falling onto his shirt

 

She then held Neku's hand and gently squeezed it.

 

"Can you feel me? Can you hear me? Do you even know that I'm…right here?" she said sadly

 

She then started to cry at the thought of him Fading realizing she'd have to go to her last resort to save him, to recreate his human form.

 

"if it got to that point…would it really work? What if I messed up Neku? …I don't want it to go to that point…I just…I want you to be safe and be happy…for us to just walk around Shibuya…like how we did after the Reapers' Game." she said weakly

 

"Please Neku…please wake up…you have to get through this…please…don't go…my world won't be the same without you! I can't just pretend I never met you Neku, I just can't!" she said sobbing

 

She then stopped crying and took a deep breath and lets it out slowly

 

"You were…the first person…that…really liked me…you supported me…and…you gave me advice saying that jealousy gives you something to shoot for…a goal…a desire to better myself…I never thought of that…I never thought anyone really liked me…just like what that Game Master said to me…

 

_No one loves you_

 

"But you showed me…that…I had something to go back to, to be myself again and be with Eri, you reminded me that Eri likes me. It was all thanks to you Neku" Shiki said sweetly

 

"we're all waiting for you…please don't give up." she said smiling

 

Many hours passed again and Neku's friends refused to leave his side they all felt like they had to be there just incase anything else happened to Neku, but especially Beat, Shiki, and Rhyme. Since they all got to fuse their mind and soul with him in the Reapers' Game (with the exception of Rhyme) they all felt a sort of connection to Neku's soul and wanted to be there for him because of it. Regardless of Rhyme never being his partner she also wanted to be there for him too.

 

They all went to Neku's room refusing to leave it until he woke up. Beat and Rhyme sat on the chair by Neku's computer, Taki sat on the floor with his back against a closet in Neku's room, and Eri and Shiki both laid on the floor. It was something that Mr. H and Joshua smiled at from the Composer District

 

"heh they really are something else. Refusing to leave Phones's side until he wakes up…their behavior almost reminds of that famous dog from Shibuya, and how he'd wait for his owner to comeback home." Mr. H said smiling

 

"Well who knows? Maybe Hachiko inspired the citizens of Shibuya to be more loyal to each other. I thought that statue of him was made just out of respect for the dog. But now...seeing them, I can't help but wonder." Joshua said with his hands in his back pockets

 

"yeah, heh heh. You sure you're okay Joshua? You really gave me quite a scare there when you were possessed" Mr. H said with his hand on his neck

 

"Yes I'm fine, no need to worry Sanae, the moment the demon energy didn't surround my body I felt much better" the Composer said smiling

 

They then turned their attention back at the portal. Many hours passed as Neku's friends slept in his room, it was almost an entire week until Neku finally woke up, a total of four hours had then passed.

 

As Neku rested Shiki woke up and saw his energy began to leak out of his skin again.

 

"Neku!" Shiki screamed startling everyone awake

 

She then ran to her friend and generated her Angel energy making a white aura surrounded her body. She saw he had his energy leaking out of his forearms and the left half of his cheek was leaking again too.

 

Shiki felt her Angel energy engulf her hands and then pressed her hands on his forearms allowing the energy to flow into him causing his forearms to go back to being healed and then gently pressed her left hand against his cheek causing his skin to no longer be torn. When she was finally done she removed her hands from him and heard him make a little sound.

 

"Nngh…"

 

She then smiled she saw him slowly open his eyes

 

"guys Neku's finally awake!" Shiki said mentally

 

The other friends rush over to Neku's bed smiling and glad that Neku was okay again.

 

Neku then looked at everyone with his eyes halfway open and slowly turned his head to his left and right seeing all of his friends with the exception of Mr. H and Joshua there.

 

"Guys…you're all…here?" Neku said weakly

 

"Heh, of course we are Neku! We didn't want to leave you until you got better." Shiki said smiling

 

Mr. Mew then ran up to Neku and hugged him making Neku smile

 

"heh heh I'm glad you're so happy Shiki" Neku said remarking on the dolls reaction.

 

The doll then leaped onto Shiki's shoulder.

 

"You sure you're okay?" Eri asked concerned

 

"yeah…just really tired." Neku said weakly

 

Shiki then closed her eyes and held Neku's left hand causing him to close his eyes too, she then healed Neku of the cuts and bruises he had from his fight from a few days ago and helped him get some energy back to feel awake.

 

She then opened her eyes and smiled at him

 

"feel any better?" Shiki said sweetly

 

"yeah…thanks" Neku said smiling making Shiki giggle

 

"How long was I resting?" he asked concerned

 

"four hours" Shiki answered

 

"four hours?!" Neku yelled as he sat up

 

"I was…really that far gone?" he said darkly hanging his head

 

"Yeah you really were...You had us really scared Neku. In that fight, you took multiple blows to the head, so you were knocked out for a while" Rhyme added

 

"Neku man…seein' you all hurt like that jus' made us feel like crap yo." Beat said sadly

 

"but at least you're finally awake now." Taki said with a little smile

 

"yeah…you went through a lot Neku…Sanae told us about them, the cause of all of this, the Soul Stealers." Shiki explained

 

Hearing their name made Neku gasp out of fear and look up since he knows how they nearly killed Joshua.

 

"They're really…here? Joshua told me about them…and how he almost Faded from one of them." Neku said nervously

 

"yeah but don't worry about that Neku. It's okay, Mr. H and Joshua are watching over you again so they'll know if something's up." Shiki said reassuringly

 

"yeah…" Neku said smiling

 

He then started to get off of his bed making all of his friends back up so he had room and finally stood on the floor.

 

"Phones you sure you okay?" Beat said worried

 

"yeah I am don't worry" Neku said with a smug smile with his hand on his hip

 

"You…you ain't afraid of me?" Beat said weakly hanging his head causing Neku to hide his face

 

"No…I'm not afraid of you Beat…I know that wasn't really you…it…was Anthony making you go crazy. Eventhough that was your strength, I know you wouldn't use it to hurt me like that." Neku said weakly

 

"you're my...friend. so I know you wouldn't do that. no matter what crap that freak pulls, he's not gonna change that Beat, ever." he added

 

"Neku…" Beat said clasping his shoulder looking down

 

Neku then raised his head and smiled at Beat making him do the same.

 

They then decided to celebrate Neku's recovery by hanging out in the city again, where Neku revealed he could faintly hear what his friends told him when he was asleep.

 

"it's weird, even though I was sort of unconscious, I could somehow hear everything too. It's like I was in between being awake and knocked out. Getting my head smashed over and over really messed me up but, I think, in the long run…hearing your voices helped " Neku said sweetly

 

This then caused Shiki to look at Neku and smile

 

"I'm glad" she responded making Neku feel bashful and scratch his head

 

Seeing him so open, being able to just talk to them like that made his friends extremely happy, they were glad Neku trusted them to the point that he'd talk to them like this…something that they all knew…he never had until now.

 

As they walked around the city some more he heard Joshua contact him mentally

 

"well I see someone's feeling better…but just so you know Neku I think you've had a little too much free time hee hee. You remember what the Head Maestro told you right?"

 

"yeah… I have to become God…and kill Anthony" Neku said mentally

 

"Exactly so enjoy this little moment cause then I'm going to help you start your training." Joshua replied

 

"heh heh, sounds good Josh…and thanks" he replied

 

"Hm? For what Neku?" Joshua said curiously

 

"for…wanting to help me…you didn't have to do this." Neku said telepathically

 

"hee hee, no need to thank me Neku. I really have gotten sick of that Demon too, so that's why I'm personally going to train you…no other reason." Joshua said mentally

 

"Heh, sure Josh…you can't fool me anymore. I know you won't admit it…but whatever…heh heh, thanks." Neku replied mentally

 

Joshua then smiled as he watched over Neku glad to see that he's confident in his training.

 

They ate ramen together and went shopping and even went over to the infamous phone booth of love where Neku told Taki about how he and Joshua had to help the Reapers that were in a rock band (Def March) to get their microphone back, causing him to laugh thinking how humorous the situation was.

 

After that they headed for Towa records for Neku to go buy some Cds when he felt his Demon energy spike up again causing him to get a headache and pant out of breath from the pain.

 

"Nnnnngh…no…not again." Neku whimpered

 

"Neku!" Shiki screamed

 

She then generated a white aura around her and ran up to Neku, and then placed her hand on his back and closed her eyes again.

 

Neku then felt his body burn causing him to tremble

 

"Shiki, you gotta get everyone out of here! I…Rrrgh! I feel the energy getting stronger!" he screamed

 

At that moment a black aura then surrounded Neku and became fire causing Shiki to instantly move her hand back from being burned from the energy.

 

His teeth then began to sharpen and he got long fangs, and grew demon skin but without the slashmarks, he was getting close to going to his third demon form.

 

"Nnngh! Please Shiki! You...and the others...You gotta run! I…Nnngh…I don't want to hurt you again!" he said urgently

 

Shiki then closed her eyes generated her white energy again, and her Angel wings causing the Angel energy to surge like fire.

 

"I'm not gonna let you suffer like this Neku!" she said sternly

 

"Just let my energy flow into you okay?" she said sweetly

 

Mr. Mew then leaped from her shoulders as Shiki walked closer to Neku and wrapped her arms around Neku's chest and closed her eyes, when he felt the warmth of the Angel energy, it began to soothe Neku causing him to close his eyes and place his hands on hers gently rubbing his fingers against her…trying to just use that sense of touch to help him calm down…to know that she's there.

 

As they both glowed with the energy, the demon skin went away causing him to relax and feel at peace Shiki then opened her eyes causing the aura to go away and allowed her Angel wings to dissolve.

 

"Neku, are you okay?" Shiki said sweetly

 

He then took a deep breath and sighed

 

"yeah…thanks to you." he said softly

 

She then lets go of him and he turns around to her smiling

 

"How much of the energy can you control now?" Shiki said smiling

 

Neku then closed his eyes and did his usual pose for concentrating

 

"Open up…your senses" he said aloud

 

He then opened his eyes revealing them to be bright red (but with pupils still) and placed his hands back on his side and generated them as claws causing all of his other friends to smile

 

"Neku! You're starting to get the control back!" Shiki said happily

 

He then closed his eyes and opened them to make them his normal eye color and have his claws go back to being finger nails.

 

He then placed his hand on his hip and gave her his smug little smile

 

"Heh heh, well of course Shiki. You've gotten so good at manipulating energy that I'm only getting this far because of you." he said laid back causing her to giggle

 

"thanks Neku" Shiki said happily

 

"Heh heh, anytime" he said also smiling

 

Seeing how Neku calmed down so fast Anthony knew he had to push Neku harder…as they went into Towa records and bought cds Neku then felt his energy spike up again, but this time it was different. Neku was browsing the boxes of CDs to buy when he suddenly stopped and felt drowsy causing him to walk out the store unaware he was being imprinted on

 

 **"Go forward"** Anthony imprinted

 

"Phones?" Beat said confused

 

Neku's friends then hurry after him worried about the way he was walking. it was sluggish as he walked with his back hunched over

 

"Neku? hey! Where are you going?!" Rhyme yelled

 

"Neku!" Shiki yelled

 

Eri then ran up to him and shook his left shoulder

 

"Hey! NEKU! SNAP OUT OF IT!!" Eri cried out

 

"What can we do? It's like he doesn't hear us" she said weakly looking at Beat

 

"I dunno! This is so weird yo! Phones don't just walk away for no reason yo!" Beat said clenching onto his right shoulder

 

As Neku's friends ran towards Neku again seeing how he got some distance as they talked Neku heard the imprint again

 

**"Go forward again. Go towards anyone weak"**

 

as the friends began catching up to Neku they then looked at him terrified seeing a black aura around him as he kept walking. They then ran towards him with Beat lightly slapping Neku in the face and the others all yelling out his name but Neku kept walking

 

**"Kill. Kill any person you see that is weak"**

 

As the friends finally caught up to Neku, Rhyme shouted out his name as loud as she could

 

"NEKU! WAAAKE UUUUP!" she yelled startling him, making the demon aura go away

 

"Huh?" Neku said looking at her confused "What do you mean? I wasn't sleeping"

 

Rhyme then lets out a sigh of relief

 

"true but...it was almost like sleepwalking. We were trying to get your attention and you just kept walking away" she added

 

"You sure you're okay? The last time you'd ever just walk away like that was when you would feel really uncomfortable, like when you were in the UG with me" Shiki said hoping he wasn't slipping back

 

"Yeah, I'm okay, that is a good point though but..don't worry, I wasn't feeling uncomfortable this time." Neku answered smiling

 

"To be honest, I'm not sure why I did that, I just sort of felt sleepy all of a sudden" he said as he scratched his head a little shy

 

 

Eri then chuckled at his shyness

 

"Well, maybe you should take a nap if you feel so tired...or imagine that sleepy feeling away" she said all bubbly 

 

Neku then smiled at her too for her consideration

 

"that's a good idea. Thanks to Rhyme startling me, I only feel a bit tired though" he added

 

Neku then places his hands on his head and closes his eyes thinking about how he wants to feel one hundred percent awake and then looked at his friends feeling much better.

 

 

They then all began walking again but then Neku felt another headache

 

 

He had a black aura of demon energy around him again

 

"Phones! You gotta calm down yo!" Beat shouted

 

Neku cringed in pain as he felt a sharp pain in his head

 

"Nnngh…guys….run…it…it hurts…I can't fight this…for….that much longer" he whimpered

 

At that moment he then began to snarl sounding similar to a wolf and grew demon skin, making Shiki become nervous knowing what this meant…she had no time to heal Neku.

 

"GUYS RUN!" she screamed

 

At that moment Neku then lets out an inhuman roar and pounced at his friends and ran on all fours…he was dangerously close to going full demon and becoming a monster again…the only thing that was the same was that he had his fiery orange hair still. They all ran away from Neku out of the store and as the demonic boy senses so much energy around him he turned his attention to weaker pray…to the unsuspecting Fledglings who had a weaker vibe frequency than his friends…the newborn souls.

 

The Demon energy then reacted to the presence of Neku's friends having Angel energy and dissolved the Demon Skin, making the strength of the demon skin now wrap around Neku as a black aura, with him looking normal again and ran normal again as well.

 

Seeing this, Neku's friends then called out to him making Neku now stand still with his back facing them

 

"Neku! You gotta fight this! I know you ain't weak yo!" Beat cried

 

"Yeah Beat's right! You can control it!" Eri shouted

 

"Please don't give up on yourself Neku!" Rhyme added

 

"You can do this Neku! I know you can! Don't give up and--"

 

Shiki and the others then look at Neku terrified as he turns his head towards them

 

"Shut it. Get in my way, and I'll kill all of you" Neku said with an insane look on his face smiling

 

"Neku..." Shiki said hurt

 

Shiki became extremely pale knowing what this would mean for him if he killed them or other spirits, and hated it. They then see Neku walk away from them and run towards a group of people. Determined, she ran to her demonic friend knowing that she's putting herself at risk of being killed by him. He pounced at the weak human souls and started slashing them, knowing that she had to hurry Shiki sprouted Angel wings and flew towards Neku while becoming her Angel form, raising her vibe frequency just barely to the point she was at the nearly at the level of power that could destroy the Fledgling district.

 

Neku being blinded by the energy slashed more and more weak human souls to the point they started screaming in pain…and slashed a boy human soul with so much force, that he Faded.

 

"NOOOOO!" Shiki screamed

 

She then wrapped her arms around Neku and sent her Angel energy inside him

 

"AAAAH! The Demon Aura...it hurts just to touch him!" Shiki cried

 

she then held on tighter

 

"But I have to handle the pain. I can do this" she thought

 

His demon aura went away and he felt like himself again

 

"Nngh…Shiki…what did I do just now? How come you're an Angel?" Neku said with his right hand on his head, squinting his right eye from feeling a sharp pain in his head

 

"Neku…your Demon energy spiked up again. It made you go almost a full demon and then the strength of that form became an aura around your body…you were so out of control that I had to do this for you to calm down." she said weakly

 

She then snapped her fingers and became her soul again, and his headache went away Neku's other friends then ran up to him asking if he knew what he just did.

 

"Neku…you just killed someone." Eri said concerned

 

Neku then felt his eyes widen knowing that would mean for him

 

"No! you don't think they know about this right?" Neku yelled urgently

 

He then felt a sharp pain in his head and felt so much pressure that he fell to his knees, at that moment all of his other friends fell to their knees too.

 

Neku then opened his left eye to see the Maestros again. They lowered their vibe frequency and did the same procedure of stabbing Neku's body with energy and took him to their court room with his friends following him.

 

His friends all sat in the stands (with Taki included this time, in a certain order from left to right: Eri, Beat, Taki, Rhyme, Shiki and now Joshua)

 

Upon noticing this she looked at Joshua startled

 

"Joshua what're you doing here?!" she said shocked

 

"I'm not playing the Game this time." he said darkly making Shiki become pale

 

"No…but then what're they gonna do to Neku?" she thought worried

 

Neku then stood in the court room and the Angels removed the energy that dug into his body. He then walked towards the Judges bench afraid of what the Higher Ups have planned for him.

 

The Maestros looked at each other, whispered to each other and then looked back at Neku.

 

"Neku Sakuraba, while the Composer of Shibuya was preparing your training to become the most powerful creature of the afterlife, your demon energy went out of control causing you to not only nearly become a full Demon, but also commit murder. Such an act cannot go unpunished." Aiden said sternly

 

Neku just looked at the Head Maestro in shock afraid of what he may say next

 

"It is because of this" the Head Maestro continued "You shall play the Angels' Game again, however this will be the last time you play the Fledgling version. Should the demon energy cause this to happen again, you will be executed, and we shall deal with Anthony ourselves. Although we are not at God status, we are Angels at a higher Vibe Frequency than even Sanae. Do you understand this little Fledgling?"

 

Neku then became extremely pale and felt chills go down his spine as he hid his hands in his pockets

 

"Head Maestro…sir, what about my training to achieve God Status?" Neku said weakly

 

"it has been decided that our agreement will carry on to this Game, should you fail the Angels' Game again, you will be excused and will be given time to take care of anything before hand and then sent straight to your God Training." he replied

 

"however don't think this means you'll be able to just relax and not take the Angels' Game seriously as the Composer said, no two Angel Games are exactly alike which means that should you survive until the last day you will still have to fight an opponent to the death." Aiden added

 

One of the Guardian Angels guarding the stands then felt puzzled by this sort of free pass Neku has been given and wanted to know why.

 

"Head Maestro sir, why is this little Fledgling getting such special treatment? this free pass out of the Angels' Game has never been done before." the angel said sternly

 

"it is because Neku Sakuraba is a boy with a powerful imagination, that is why he and other spirits with his level of imagination, or Higher Minds as they're sometimes called, have the potential to achieve God Status. However, Angels and Composers have attempted this as well and although some have succeeded, they're all gone now. You Neku, due to the training you've had, are one of the only beings here that can face Genyu Mitarashi and permanently deal with the Demons." the Head Maestro replied

 

"I…I can really do all of that?!" Neku thought overwhelmed

 

"and no two Angel Games are the same so…what the hell are they gonna do to me?!" he thought panicking

 

Neku then felt chills go down his spine, and his irises began to shake filled with fear of having to play the Game again knowing that he barely survived it and became overwhelmed with anxiety not knowing if he'll even come back.

 

"What the hell are they gonna do to me?! this isn't like the Reapers' Game! In here I don't even have a chance…the only way to fight back is….to push myself so hard I nearly break apart and die! I can't screw up but, I won't even have a partner! What the hell am I gonna do?! …I…I have to trust my energy…but will that really be enough?" Neku thought nervously

 

 

To be continued…


End file.
